Survival is a Talent
by Comidia Del Arte
Summary: Cornelia just wanted a normal life. Unfortunately, life threw a curve ball and it nailed her in the abdomen, in the form of an infamous purple Lamborghini. With no bruises to show for it, she is stuck playing cat and mouse with the Joker
1. CenterFold

Cornelia E. Eves was like any other citizen of Gotham city, she paid her rent, her bills, her taxes like anyone else. She went to work in the evenings, collected her pay check twice a month. Like any other citizen of Gotham, she put up with the regular hell that the city' criminals liked to raise, and like any Gotham citizen, she wanted nothing to do with the likes of the Riddler, Penguin, or the Joker. Especially the Joker.

Unlike the average citizen of Gotham, Cornelia had a wild card in her deck. A card that most Rogues would kill to have. Cornelia was a meta human, a meta with accelerated healing abilities. In her brief 27 years of life, she'd been shot twice, and stabbed in a back once. All of which, should have been fatal and all before she had reached her 19th birthday.

She was on her way to pull at shift at the CenterFold when life decided to throw her a curveball. It nailed her right in the abdomen, in the form of a purple Lamborghini.

Cornelia was thrown off her feet as the pain exploded across her body. Being able to heal quickly did not mean that injuries came without pain. She heard the wheels of the car screech as she skidded and rolled down the road. Her arms burned as pieces of concrete cut her bare flesh like razors, sticking here and there. Her ribs splintered from the impact of the car, but she was distracted by the feeling of her head being walloped by the road, in that moment she swore she heard shattering of her skull. It felt like hours before she finally stopped flying, and she lay there, unmoving, seemingly dead. The blood gushing from her head like a river. The headlights of the car shinning on her form and casting a gruesome shadow.

The driver shut off the lights, maybe he was going inside. That in mind, Lia squeezed her eyes shut and got up. Her body screamed in protest but she could already feel it mending. Within minutes, her chest was no longer a maraca made of flesh and fragmented ribs. Lia got on her knees and watched through the blood drenched strands of hair, as her body expelled the fragments of concrete from her flesh.

Suddenly, light flooded the street again and Cornelia was saw the car and felt the urge to puke. It was a bright purple Lamborghini, everyone in Gotham knew its driver, oh they knew him all too well. He was the last person Lia wanted clued in on her abilities.

Lia grit her teeth and leapt to her feet. She needed to run, now. The door to the Lamborghini flew open. She didn't bother to look back as she fled down the alley and through the back door into the club.

One Month Later:

"Lawton! Wasn't expecting to see you for another 30 plus years…"

Smiling, Deadshot took a seat and leisurely took the bottle of scotch from her hands and had a swig. "Out on good behavior."

He chuckled at the look of the bartender's face "You seem disappointed, thought you'd be happy to see this handsome face."

Smirking, Cornelia snatched the bottle back "Only in the judicial system, and take it easy on this. Nicked it from Cove's stash before he left."

Floyd perked at the news "So, the fat ass gave up the lucrative strip biz?"

With a sigh, Lia took a swig off the bottle and grimaced as she returned to slicing lemons. "More like forced out…"

The door to the club flew open, and Joker strutted in. Lia watched him cross the floor, and allowed the knife to slip and flay some of her finger tip. Gasping in pain, she lifted up her hand and watched the blood dribble and pool into her hand. Looking past her hand, she noticed that Joker had paused his progress towards the back office. Gritting her teeth against the light sting of the lemon juice in the cut, she grabbed a towel and blotted the blood away. Joker watched her for a second, and then made his way to his office. "Why aren't you healing that?"

Leaning forward, Cornelia looked toward the room that Joker had disappeared into. Glancing back towards Lawton, she sneered at the cut "Asshole ran me over with his car last month."

Floyd blinked, not comprehending the gravity of the situation "So?"

"So, I healed up and he followed me into the club. Ended up buying the place, been trying to smoke me out for the last month."

Lia chuckled ruefully "He's been shoving girls off the stage all week."

"He never suspected you."

Lia shuddered at the thought of the mess of gore that had been caked into her hair "There was so much blood, I don't think he could make out my face."

Placing a blue bandage over the cut, Lia chuckled "Also got a black eye from some jackass the night he came sniffing for me."

"So you've got control of when you heal, that's new."

She nodded as she threw away the trash "Enough to hold it off through my shifts, I've been dicing myself all month, just to keep him off my ass."

Smirking, Lia jazzed her hands out in front of her face, showing off the varying shades of band aids. "You know, you could just leave."

Going back to viciously cutting lemons, Lia shook her head at the ludicrous suggestion "As if I could hand in my two weeks' notice now."

She balanced the knife point on the cutting board and eyed the door that led up to the office. Her eyes moved slowly towards the overlook. Joker was in there, watching the club. Searching for the meta human that had snared his interest, having little to no idea his prey was looking right at him "You know how it is Floyd, working for the Joker…."

She made eye contact with the boss for a second, Lia looked away and played it off as an accident, smiling to cover her tracks "Is a lifetime occupation."


	2. Brass Knuckles

There was a screech that sounded from the stage, Cornelia looked over Lawton's shoulder and heaved a sigh "Excuse me good sir, work calls."

Lawton smirked and spun in his chair. Meanwhile, Lia walked out from behind the bar and towards the stage. A patron was starting to get grabby with Felicity, the white blonde girl that had been brought over from Joker's other strip club. She looked scared and verging on tears, the hair gave her the whole innocent vibe but Lia never figured her for the real deal. The man had grabbed her leg and was attempting to grab way more than that. With a sigh, Cornelia walked up behind the guy, grabbed him by shoulder and yanked him off "What the fuck!?"

Lia shoved him towards the door "We've got rules here asshole, either follow or don't. Later gets your teeth knocked out."

This scuzz had a little over a foot on her, but Lia had dealt with far bigger. He was a lanky fucker compared to the guy that gave her the shiner earlier in the month. She sauntered up to him, smile on her face, he leaned forward in an attempt to tower over her "The fuck ya gonna do ya cunt?"

She smirked, keeping her eyes trained downward as she chuckled "Cunt huh?"

Lia reached into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out a pair of knuckle dusters. As he leaned closer to lord his height, she struck out at him, dusters and all. The metal landed across his cheek, the poor fucker's teeth went flying. Grabbing the collar of his shirt, she brought his head down to meet her knee. He groaned in pain, the punch from the duster's rendering him slightly unconscious. It wasn't long before he lay sprawled on out on the club floor. Her dirt red hair had fallen out of its bun, strands hung down her face. Sneering, Lia spat on him, the glob of saliva smacking him on the cheek. Looking towards the door where security stood, the bartender raised an eyebrow as they came forward to escort the man outside. Walking away, Lia muttered to herself "I'm a fucking bartender, they don't pay me enough for this shit."

Pulling the dusters off her fingers, she noted the light bruising. Unfitted brass knuckles were notorious for breaking the fingers of the wielder. Even fitted ones hurt like a mother, but the after effects were mere bruises and light scrapes. Gritting her teeth, Lia forced her body's natural instincts to hold off on the healing. She couldn't risk even the slightest show of accelerated healing. Going back to her place behind the bar, Lia noticed Lawton was smiling at her "Damn woman, you are fucking vicious."

Smiling, Lia tossed the fully sliced lemons into a container on the counter "The fucker called me a cunt, you know I hate that."

Picking up a cold wet towel from under the bar, she wrapped her sore fingers up and sighed with relief. "You should be careful though…"

Lia glanced up at Lawton and then over his head to the overlook of the club. Joker was watching her now, slowly a smile stretched across his painted lips. He took a hand off the cane that rested between his legs, and gestured for her to come to him. The bartender's face paled and Floyd blinked and glanced over his shoulder "Too late."

With a sneer, Cornelia tied the towel off on her fingers and walked out from behind bar and towards the door to the office "You'll come get me if shit gets rough."

She hissed as she walked past Floyd. He gave her a solemn nod and took gulp of his drink. With her heart going miles a minute, Lia made her way up the stairs. Her left hand absently patted the pocket that held her dusters. They were there, still warm from when she used them earlier. Taking a deep breath, Lia knocked on the door to the overlook. Joker's right hand man opened the door and nodded, letting her in. Joker sat across the door facing outward so that he could continue to watch the club "Sit."


	3. Roll Over

His voice sat at the back of his throat and reverberated along his tongue, it sound nasally but seemed capable of dropping to his chest. Lia took the seat furthest from him, resulting in her sitting with her back to the window. This was probably the best she could do. Floyd would be watching, if she had to she'd be able to signal him without the Joker noticing. Lia sat there for a long time before her boss spoke again "You've got… Quite the temper."

His glass cut eyes darted towards the hand she had wrapped in the towel. Lia tapped her fingers on her knee "Par for the course, boss…"

Chuckling, he placed his hand over his mouth, showing off the large tattooed smile "Did ya, hurt yourself?"

Unwrapping the towel, Lia propped up her hand to show off the bruises. It was a bitch concentrating to keep them just the right color, but this was the only way to downplay any of his suspicions. "They're not fitted for me, so yeah."

He titled his head a fraction of an inch, betraying his curiosity "Oh? And who were they fitted for?"

They were fitted for her father, but Cornelia felt that such information was both unnecessary and too much. That in mind, she fabricated a lie and delivered it with ease "Beat the shit out of some asshole a few years ago, he flashed these, I took them as a prize."

He fitted her with a look of great curiosity "Such a talent for violence, and you're working as a bartender in a strip club."

Cornelia kept her eyes focused on his teeth. There was something about his eyes that came off as overpowering "Not all of us have the nards to play ball with the Bat and lead a criminal empire, boss."

He nodded "You know your place…"

She was being made to roll over. Like a submissive dog for its alpha. This was not a natural state for her, sure Lia liked to keep her head down and ploy through life with the desire to avoid trouble. Even so, she was argumentative by nature, exposing her stomach to this Doberman with silver capped teeth made her sick to her stomach. It was the only way to stay alive. Cornelia dipped her head and nodded "It's not a glitzy life, but it pay the bills."

Joker's lips lifted a bit, showing his teeth more. His eyes scanned the club and his attention landed on Floyd. Lia stiffened slightly, but took a breath and feigned disinterest "How's it that you know Deadshot?"

So he'd noticed the rapport that Floyd and Lia had from up here. "Deadshot? Is that a GI Joe character?"

It had been a mild bit of humor on Cornelia's part, she was not expecting the explosion of laughter that came. Joker was in stitches, tapping his cane on the floor. Even his henchman cracked a grin. Lia however, remained impassive "Wooo, the girl has jokes!"

Her upper lip shuddered a bit, trying to impart a quiet laugh. It was to no avail, the discomfort robbed her of her ability to flex her facial muscles to give the impression of a smile. When jokes were made in the clowns presence, it was insulting not the share at least a giggle. His smile dropped as quickly as it had come "Still, ya didn't answer my question, freckles."

Lia maintained her clueless facial expression only making eye contact long enough to not challenge her boss. Joker grew annoyed and bellowed "The man down at the bar, the one you were getting friendly with!"

"You mean Lawton, I wasn't aware that he was part of the Rogues' Gallery…"

Joker sneered as he glared at Floyd's back "He's an assassin for hire."

Nodding, Lia shrugged "I don't ask my customer's their life occupation, sir. I just serve them."

That was a bit of a load, she knew exactly what Floyd did. She made it her business to know who she was serving, despite the fact that it was probably best that she keep her freckled upturned nose out of her customer's business. Honestly though, the only reason Floyd came to the CenterFold was because she worked here. It was not a love and pursuit relationship, at least that's what Cornelia figured. It was more the fact that Floyd felt a certain communion with her. She was a meta human after all, a cast off of polite society because she was not normal. Lawton was the same way, only his expulsion from society was due to his lifestyle choice and occupation. Lia did not profess to trust the assassin to the fullest extent, but they had each other's back when they shared a common enemy. Who would've thought that such a dubious relationship could evolve from Floyd stumbling into the club with gash on his head, and Lia having her heartstrings be played when he flashed a picture of the daughter he was desperate to live for "I, did not peg you to employ, ignorance."

Lia glanced up at her boss, he was staring at her now. Slowly, she managed an impish grin "I'm told its blissful."

Within a few minutes, Joker waved her out. It was awkward, and Lia was unsure how to verbally depart from the conversation. "Good talk boss."

Her heart had been in her throat the entire time. It took the rest of the shift for it to return to the confines of her chest. Lawton left not long after that, and at 1am Lia's relief arrived and she packed up and left. Joker watched her go, eyeing the mess of band aids and gauze that she had wrapped around the fingers of her brass wielding hand "Frost?"

His right hand man stepped forward "Boss…"

Joker leaned back "Know anyone that… Specializes in brass knuckles?"

His lips twitched slightly "Matter of fact I do, boss."

"Hmmm, good cause I think our hard working bar tender deserves a gift."


	4. Grub Shack

Lia stretched as she walked out the door of the club, receiving an appreciative whistle in the process "Have a good night sugar tits!"

She sneered in response,. "Go fuck yourself Rob."

He was what remained of Cove's security. Lia was not exactly sure how Rob managed to survive the month under new management. He was a grade A prick, and fancied himself something of a tough guy. Lia had also seen him testing the ropes with Joker's second in command. She had him pegged for dead after that, and yet here he was "Do it every night with you in mind."

With a snarl, Lia turned and got in his face. "I'll tell ya this much Rob, keep pushing Frost's buttons and you won't last another month here…"

He smirked "Frost's a pussy, what's he gonna do?"

Perfect, Cornelia chuckled "Wasn't talking about him, I heard our new boss mentioning something about you causing problems."

Rob's eyes widened in terror "Wait, what did you hear?"

Shrugging, Lia walked away "Nothing much, just something about you performing on stage with the girls…. Without your skin."

Rob was left terrified and silenced. Cornelia flashed him a smug smile and continued her trek home. Maybe that would be enough to shut Rob up for a few weeks. For some reason, even after seeing Lia take out fucker that had at most 4 feet on her, the sexist fucker felt no fear of her, and passed his evenings shooting sick comments and leers in her direction. There were 10 strippers that worked at the CenterFold, God only knew why Rob picked her out of the bunch.

Making her way down the sidewalk, Lia stepped into her favorite restaurant, it was called the Grub Shack. She needed something greasy tonight, her nerves were frayed to shit. It was a 24 hour diner, and it made a mean burger. In this part of Gotham, Denny's were few because it banked on having a family environment. Grub Shack catered to all, this included the dancers that worked the clubs on the strip, and the red light girls that walked the block a few streets over.

Walking in, Lia sighed with relief. Normally, this place was filled with the usual riff raff of night life, but she'd managed to get the place to herself. After scanning the menu, she went through the process of ordering her food. Just a burger with bacon, cheese and jalapeños along with an order of chili fries "Rough night kid?"

Looking toward the kitchen, past the hairy man that was manning the register. Lia chuckled "Makes you think that Deb?"

The older woman winked and threw two burger patties on the grill "Ya order chili fries when yer stressed."

Handing over $10, Lia blinked a couple times "I always order chili fries…"

Deb gave the grill of smack with her spatula, killing a fly and leaving it to sizzle on the grill "Exactly, yer always so tense sweetie. Not good for yer health!"

Leaning against the counter, the bartender waited for her order "This coming from the lady who won't stop having kids? Sometimes I wonder if you're a catholic bunny?"

Deb threw fries into the fryer and giggled "Not my fault Freddy can't keep his hands off me."

The guy at the register smirked "What, you proud of yourself Freddy? I think Trojan Advertising would have a field day with your kids."

Freddy and Deb were the owners of the Grub Shack, they'd been in business for over 10 years now. When they opened their doors, they had 3 kids. Numbers had increased to a total 6, and Deb was pregnant with their 7th. Lia couldn't wrap her head around the couple. They owned a back alley abortion of a diner that served strippers, hookers, and drug dealers, yet somehow they were very family oriented. It made little to no sense, but they did make a mean burger and chili fries. "Meet any cuties this week Lia?"

Deb hollered from the kitchen "I work in a strip club Deb, all the guys are scum!"

"What about your new boss, I heard Cove sold the place?"

Lia choked on her own spit and only after a series of painful coughs did she wheeze "I think if I started making eyes at him, Harley Quinn would shove a stick of dynamite up my ass and skip away to the tune of Tip-Toe through the Tulips."

Freddy paled, and Deb when quiet. "Joker, the Joker bought the place!?"

Glancing into their horror filled eyes, Cornelia shrugged "Guess he's expanding his territory. Just keep your kids close."

Deb dropped Lia's on the counter and that was when she took the chance to run out. She wasn't in the mood to discuss Joker or to make Freddy and Deb feel safe now that the Gotham Clown had a business a few blocks down from theirs.


	5. Pecker

When she got home, Lia threw her bag onto the couch and made for the window that led out to the fire escape. It was freezing outside, but Cornelia was not in the mood to confine herself inside just yet. Taking a seat on the rickety ladder, she set her bag of food on the group and proceeded to pull out her burger. She chewed in silence, listening to the sigh of the city as the wind streamed through alleys and around the buildings. Sirens screamed off in the distance, but other than that, it was quieter than usual. Reclining back, Lia took another bite of her burger and looked up into the night sky. Squinting, in the hopes of seeing the stars, despite the light pollution. By the time she made it to her fries, they had gone cold. Resigning herself to this, Lia got, popped her back and climbed back inside.

Just as she threw her fries into the microwave, she heard the familiar scrape of keys against the door. It took a minute or two, but at long last, Cornelia's roommate stumbled inside bringing with her the rank smell of expensive champagne and weed. Wrinkling her nose, Lia called out from the kitchen "Phoebe!?"

The response she got, was the sound of something breaking and a string of curse words. With a sigh, Lia walked out of the kitchen to the front door. The floor was covered in glittering shards of glass and sad clutches of Lupus. "Damn it Pheeb, that's the third vase."

Her roommate looked at her through bleary red strewn eyes "Then…Why do ya keep p-putting em there?"

Kneeling down, Lia started to pick up the pieces "Figured it would counter how badly you smell during party nights."

Phoebe gave her lazy sneer " ."

Without lending a hand, the petite college student picked her way through the mass of broken glass and went into her room. A shard ran on the grain of Lia's finger, leaving behind a thread of red. Yelping, Lia retracted her hand. Looking at the injury, she watched as the blood receded and the cut began to seal. Turning, she looked down the hall and eyed Phoebe's door "You owe me a new vase."

Her roommate stuck her head out the door. She was still feeling the effects of party night "Like, hell I do."

Lia glared at her "Tell your Daddy I want the Tiffany Sierra Square Vase this time."

That earned her the middle finger and a slamming door. Turning back to the mess, Lia muttered to herself "Just had to get the roommate with rich parents that wanted to live the Gotham experience."

Still, it wasn't all bad. Yeah, Phoebe broke her shit regularly, but she always replaced it with bigger more expensive things. It was her way to avoid Lia kicking her ass out. Phoebe looked down on her roommate for working in a strip club, but she wasn't fried enough to ignore the fact that Lia was never without money. Though, that was due to the fact that the Cornelia was taking the expensive replacements she demanded, and hawking them in the local pawnshops. She'd pocket the money and buy cheap knock offs. The cycle would continue the next time Phoebe broke something.

For some reason, the little elite wanted to live the middle class life and had contacted Lia through a craigslist ad. Which had been put up when the land lord decided to spike Lia's rent unexpectedly. One drug and criminal record screening later, Phoebe Lee moved in and the two began a mutual relationship of zero fucks given. The roommates rarely hung out with one another, and only ever bonded when Lia threw one of Phoebe's boyfriends into a wall and broke his nose in the process. The scummy piece of shit, who happened to be the head quarterback for Gotham University, had gotten drunk and took it out on the richer of the roommates. The stanchly bastard didn't know what hit him until he took in the mass of red hair, but only after Lia stopped grinding his broken nose into the wall. The blood stain was still there, although it was covered by a somewhat tasteful and not so tasteful Ray Caesar original.

In all honesty, Cornelia only intervened because the noise was worsening an already intense migraine. Even so, Phoebe knew better than to upset her after that incident. The Ray Caesar had been her attempt at a thank you. Although, both knew that the painting had been a gift to Phoebe from her father, and she had been looking for a way to pawn it off on someone. Lia originally had plans to sell the painting, but grew unexpectedly fond of it.

As she finished sweeping up the glass and flower, Lia found herself eyeing the painting. Taking in the image of a young almost white girl, hunched over in strangely painful and yet blissful repose. She wore an olive green dress, which was open at the back. Standing on her upper spine was a stately raven, who was eyeing the mess of blood and peck marks that dotted the girl's back. The painting itself was called "Pecker." Lia honestly had no idea why she liked the painting, but liked it she did, it was one of the few upper crust enjoyments that she permitted herself to indulge in. With a smirk, Cornelia disposed of the glass and flowers and went to bed. Forgetting about the chili fries, which were going lukewarm in the microwave.

(Found Ray Caesar on whim, honestly, I like his work. Very disturbing, yet somehow beautiful. I recommend you look up his stuff.)


	6. Paranoia

Cornelia get out of bed until 11am the next morning. She had another shift at the Centerfold that started at 5pm. She would have continued sleeping but upon opening her eyes at 10am, Lia found that she couldn't confine herself to her bedroom 12pm like she had originally planned. With a sigh, she got up. Sneering at the smell of stale beer and regret. Normally she tried to shower after her shifts because Lia didn't want the smell of strip club transferring to her sheets, but she zonked out last night.

Standing, she peeled off her clothes and tossed them in the overflowing laundry basket. Groaning, she grabbed the hamper and marched herself into the laundry room. One of the benefits of forking over the extra money for this apartment, washer and dryer in unit. Lia had gone without in the past, and lord only knew how much that dirty laundry piled up before she bit the bullet and did the deed.

Lia was in the middle of tossing her clothes into the washer when she noticed her reflection in the floor length mirror. Rubbing the bridge between her eyes, she glared at her fully healed body. All the bruises and cuts were gone. It was near impossible to maintain injuries in her sleep, but Cornelia had somehow managed to keep it up in the last month. All that effort amounted to nothing in the end. She'd have to reapply everything before work tonight. With one last groan, Lia tossed the rest of her laundry in and got a load going.

In the shower, she sighed as the water took away the stench of last night's work. Turning the knob to boiling hot, Lia took up the process of scrubbing at her skin, she could still feel his eyes on her. The way he smiled and observed, made her feel rotten to the core. As if his eyes left a greasy imprint on her flesh. Running the suds through her hair, she sighed. He had been eyeing her hair the most, perhaps if she dyed her hair black, he'd lose interest.

Of all the people to run her over, it had to be him. At this rate, she would have preferred Batman, at least he wouldn't shoot or stab her for the fun of it. Joker seemed like the type who would employ her as a reusable punching bag. Cornelia had never taken pride in her work, but at this rate, having the Joker as a boss was like scrapping the charred remains of the barrel that use to hold her dignity. Smirking, Lia rinsed off and stepped out of the shower. Wrapping up her hair, she went into her bedroom and grabbed her phone from her bedside table. After a few moments of flipping through it, she opened a file that contained pictures and the details of her injuries. Everything was dated and organized in a way that factored in natural healing. She'd have to give herself the cuts and bruises to the fullest extent and then allow them to heal to a certain degree. Nodding, Lia set her phone down and pulled on some sweats, and a t-shirt. She'd apply the necessary injuries later. For now, all she wanted was to work off her frustrations that had carried over from last night's shift.

Her morning routines were rather simple. Composed of pushups, jumping jacks, leg raises, straight kicks, crescent kicks, etc. Whatever she felt was necessary and whatever she could find instruction on. An advanced healing factor was pretty useless if you weren't trained in some sort of combat. Although, Lia was no expert, she found the routines comforting and a good way to let off steam. Sadly, she couldn't pursue this hobby outside of her apartment. The idea of being caught kept her from taking lessons in the area of legitimate martial arts. She couldn't risk being found out.

Now, this hadn't always been Lia's mindset. In her teens, when she first came to Gotham, she had been an avid free runner. But after an unfortunate spill from a 20 story building into a dumpster, along with several hours spent unconscious while her body repaired itself in the slums of Gotham… Cornelia felt it was best to abandon the hobby all together and opt for something more covert. Being a teenager with advanced healing had not been the best combination, it elongated the "I'm immortal" phase. Lia didn't grow out of that until she was 19.

Smirking, Cornelia pulled in her left leg towards her chest as she lifted herself off the ground. Forming a series of one leg pushups. Switching from left to right each time. After doing about 50, she dropped and splayed herself on the floor. Letting her cheek rest on the carpet. With a deep sigh, she got up, she'd have to eat before application. Everything had been small injuries but her meta abilities did not run on anger and steam like the rest of her. Giving the floor and smack, Lia pushed up and made for the kitchen. Opening the freezer, she snagged a box of pub battered fish fillets, threw them onto a pan and tossed them in the oven.

Grabbing for the remote control, Lia flicked on the TV and proceeded to watch reruns of 'Untold Stories of the ER, Gotham edition.' Far more entertaining, less 'dude got his dick stuck in a bear trap' more 'is this guy a schizo or did he get a face full of Scarecrow fear toxin?' Who knew? That's half the fun! This particular episode featured a possible Riddler henchman who got his ass handed to him by Batman. The poor sucker came in with a broken jaw, and a baterang embedded in his skull. Lia smirked as the actor playing the henchman screamed in agony, coinciding with the ER nurse's retelling of the events.

Within 30 minutes, the timer for the oven went off and Lia scarfed down her fish sandwich. Glancing up at the microwave clock, she relinquished a groan. Her shift started in a couple hours, and the scars required time and precision. Grabbing a paring knife for the drawer, Lia got her phone from her bedroom and went into the bathroom. Turning on all the lights, she hopped up on the bathroom counter and stared into the mirror. With her phone resting on her knee, she got to work. Placing the knife to her fingers she applied a series of precise cuts according to the images on her phone.

Putting the knife down, Lia eyed her hands and slowly allowed her body to heal. The blood receded, and the angry red began to abate. Gritting her teeth, Cornelia brought the process to a grinding halt. Her fingers twitched a little, fighting against Lia's willpower to stop her natural way of things. At long last, the twitching stopped, the cuts did not heal any further.

Taking a deep breath, Cornelia's eyes settled on the last picture of her injuries, the bruising from her brass knuckles. That one was going to be a bitch to replicate. Slipping off the counter, she went back to her bedroom and fished the brass knuckles form her pants. Slipping them on, she walked out of the bedroom and towards the Caesar painting. Standing on her toes, she grasped the edges of the painting and lifted it off the wall. Setting it down of the ground, she stared at the blood stain on the wall. With a deep breath, she brought her fist back and set it careening towards the drywall. Lia drew back enough to take the pressure off the hit. Avoiding the risk of breaking her fingers and causing more damage than necessary. Pulling her hand out from the hole in the wall, she pulled the brass off her knuckles and eyed her injuries. Granted, the scratches and bruising were more severe, but with a little healing they would look similar to what she had last night. Flexing her fingers, Lia tossed the knuckles onto the kitchen counter. "All this bullshit for that clown."

Lia continued to gripe as she hung the painting back up. Eyeing the image of the little girl, she shook her head "Cornelia, you're getting paranoid."

Heaving a sigh, she returned to her room and prepared herself for the long night ahead.


	7. Meet the Wolf

Pulling her rat's nest hair back with a worn old bandana, Lia slipped on a pair of slim fit jeans, heeled combat boots, and a low cut t-shirt. This was as modest as one could get at a strip club, any further and tips would be scarce. Pulling a face at her mirror, Lia snatched up sweatshirt and put it on, grabbing her head phones and shoulder bag, she left the apartment.

For a few minutes, she stood outside her door and flipped through her iPod. In the end, she settled on listening to some "Pale Horse Called Death." It was stoner rock? Grunge? Punk? Whatever it was, the slow pulsing bass and droning vocals were a welcome reprieve from the pounding rap and dub step that flooded her workplace. Feeling almost Zen like, Lia descended the stairs and started her trek to work.

 _Hey there riding hood  
won't you please meet the wolf  
would let me come inside  
let me under, under the covers  
let me come between your thighs_

Smiling, Lia took hold of a nearby lamppost and swung herself around, allowing her weight to carry her through a full spin. Letting go, she continued on her way. That jackass Rob, might have been onto something when he expressed a desire to see the disheveled bartender doing a few tricks on the poles. All things considered, if she had to, this would be the song,

 _I know when you squirm like a little girl  
I know your addicted_

 _Hey there riding hood  
won't you please meet the wolf  
I swear I'll make you feel all right  
Make your flowers bloom  
Make your honey flow  
Be your black dog scratching at your door._

Suppose the money would be better than bartending. Lia chuckled at the thought, like any man in his right mind would pay to see her swing herself around a stage half naked. No, she'd never reduce herself to that sort of objectification, Lia hated being looked at. If anything, her personality and lifestyle always incorporated her overall desire to remain anonymous. This was the case in bad and good actions, Cornelia had never been one for attention. Flying under the radar had always suited her, it kept her alive. No one could use her if she kept out of the light.

It was then that Lia came to the entrance of CenterFold. It was already open, accommodating the after work alcoholics and early evening perverts. Smirking, she pulled her headphones from her ears and hung them around her neck. "Hey Lia!"

Glancing up, Cornelia nodded a greeting to Lars. He was the opening bartender, from their brief interactions during trade off, Lia pegged him as a peppy sort with a history of morphine addiction. Charming, but from what she could tell, Lars was attempting to kick his habit. His girlfriend walked out and left him to raise their 6 year old kid. Child services wasn't far behind. These days, he was doing his best to show that he had a stable job and was well off the morphine. Working in a strip club was probably not the best move, but who was Lia to judge?

After few minutes of small talk, Lars left her to manage the bar. Shoving her stuff under the bar, Lia pulled off her sweatshirt and was in the process of tying off her apron when Frost stepped into her line of vision. She blinked, other than coming and going, Frost was seldom down here. "Need something?"

He eyed her for moment, a moment that felt like an eternity "Frost, if you need something could you tell me now, the suspense is is seriously killing me."

She was surprised when he relinquished a smile, so much so that Lia couldn't keep from commenting "Ah, he smiles, that's unexpected."

Lia figured she'd taken her commentary a step too far, but Frost chuckled this time. This earned him a laugh in kind and a smile. He came in closer "Boss says that starting tomorrow, you'll be working at Grin and Bare It."

The bartender froze, all humor gone "Say what?"

Frost shrugged "He feels your talents are wasted here."

Lia braced herself on the bar and eyed the henchman up and down "My talents huh?"

He nodded and Cornelia's lips thinned to a perfect line "What are my talents exactly?"

Frost raised an eyebrow "You hit a guy hard enough to make him spit teeth…"

Tucking a loose strand of hair back up into her bandana, Lia leaned back "I call that the usual Tuesday."

He smirked "Boss wants you close by."

A shiver coursed down her spine. Gritting her teeth, Lia averted her gaze and set about cleaning the dusty martini glass that Lars had left out. After looking over one of the glasses for a bit, her eyes flickered back to Frost. "And what…. What if that's a position that I _don't_ want to be in?"

She noticed how his warm brown eyes solidified, as if going through a flash freeze "You don't say no to the Boss…. I suggest you roll over on this. The other girls didn't seem to have trouble with that."

Lia sneered at him "Other girls?"

Frost nodded "The Boss wants to keep a variety going when it comes to his working girls. Keeps the scene fresh."

She paled for a second, feeling an onset of nausea wash over her. Taking a deep breath, she set down a glass and gave the henchman her full attention "I ain't stripping if that's what he's after."

He noted the look of discomfort "He just wants you to work the bar, like you do here. And come when you're called."

Her fingernails raked into the bar at his words, but she relaxed her fingers and breathed through clenched teeth "I assume, I don't have a choice in this?"

Frost shrugged, confirming the obvious. Lia stepped back and folded her arms across her chest. There was clearly no way to get out of this, she needed this job. Pawning Phoebe's expensive replacements wouldn't exactly pay her end of the rent. If she walked out on Joker, he'd likely black list her from any potential job. Not to mention the fact that he, oh kill her… Probably. With a groan, Lia sneered at Frost "Fine."

That said, she returned to her side work. Taking up a dirty glass she started to wipe it clean. The henchman nodded "Good girl."

Lia snarled at him as he walked back towards the upstairs office. It was then that the glass in her hand exploded under the pressure of her grip. She dropped the pieces and bit back a scream as splintered glass dug into her flesh. "Fucking perfect."


	8. A Classic Negroni

The rest of the night carried on without much incident. Lia only tossed out one violent pervert during her shift, unfortunately for him, she had to break his nose to get the message across that his behavior was unacceptable. Even then, Cornelia did not devote much attention to her actions that evening. She was too busy mulling over the fact that starting tomorrow night, she'd be working far closer to Joker than she felt comfortable with. Sure, he'd come into Centerfold once or twice a week to look over finances, play king to the employees, and toss the dancers of the stage in a bid to find her.

It was common knowledge that Grin and Bare It, was his pride and joy. Lia would be playing on his turf, being a veteran employee to Centerfold had at least given her some advantage. With this shift, all the familiarity and protection would be yanked out from under her. Lia shuddered at the thought, not to mention the fact that Grin and Bare It, doubled as a strip joint and a very active dance club. Lia already disliked her job, moving up to a bigger version of it was not her idea of a good time. Groaning at the thought, the bartender made a round of gin n' tonics, set them on a tray and brought them onto the floor. The patrons didn't seem to notice her as she set down their drinks. It was just how Lia liked it, unacknowledged, completely invisible until she desired otherwise. Without even sparing her a glance, the ring leader placed a $10 tip on her tray "Thank you sir."

With a nod to him, Lia tucked the tray under arm and returned to the confines of the bar. This was going to change at Grin and Bare It, she'd seen the uniform for the female bartenders. Wine red leather pants, and a black bralette weren't exactly her style and they screamed the exact opposite of how she did customer service.

Just as she was thinking this, one of the guys from the gin n' tonic group stepped up the bar. Judging by the look he was giving her, he was looking for the kind of treatment that Lia would be encountering at the other club. This in mind, she sighed and gave him her attention. Might as well practice "Can I help you?"

He looked her up and down, smiling impishly. Smirking, Lia pushed a strand of hair out of her face. "I think you dropped something…"

Oh God, she fought the urge to puke. This was more cheese than she was willing to handle this far into a shift and on top of all the stress. Still, the bartender played along "Oh, what?"

Lia held back the urge to roll her eyes as the man slid his business card across the bar "My number…"

He grinned at her, as if he had triumphed in his attempt to pick her up. Lia was about to respond in the negative when she looked over the guy's shoulder. The Joker had just walked in, almost instantly his attention was on her. Turning her eyes back to the guy in front of her, she grabbed his card, eyeing "Surgeon?"

The surgeon smiled easily "My specialty is oral…"

He winked suggestively. Ok, that was the most she could handle. Still smiling, Lia took the card and held it over the open flame of one of the ambiance candles on the bar. It lit up quickly, and she dropped it in the sink where it slowly curled into a pile of ash. "What the fuck!?"

Lia shrugged and turned her back to him "Not interested."

She started into prepping Joker's usual drink, a classic Negroni "You cunt!"

The surgeon had chosen to stick around. Lia turned and smiled at him "Look sweets, if you don't back off, you'll be glad that your specialty is oral surgery."

He showed no signs of leaving, so Lia lashed out and grabbed the collar of his button up shirt "Cause my specialty is breaking jaws…"

His eyes widened in terror at her words. She was stronger than he had expected for a seemingly petite red head. Lia let him go, but the bastard was quick to gain back his balls. He spat in her face and straightened his shirt "Ungrateful cunt."

When he turned, his forehead met with the business end of a Colt Gold Cup Trophy. The surgeon slowly past the gun as he put up his hands in surrender. What he saw made him piss himself. Lia broke from her frozen state behind him, in order to let out snort of laughter. Joker looked past the useless crap towards Corenlia, so unexpected, what a nice laugh. Turning his attention back to the matter at hand, he smiled and wagged a finger at his patron "Now… that… Oooh, that wasn't very nice. You, really shouldn't treat a lady like that. Especially that one."

He nodded towards Cornelia, the surgeon turned a little. "Ya see, she makes a good Negroni. She muddles it when she's upset. Ain't that right toots?"

Lia nodded, the feeling of smugness gone. Joker was likely gonna kill this guy, and she wasn't exactly ok with seeing that. Even so, keeping her cover was more important. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed Joker's drink and came out from behind the bar "Like you like it, sir."

Joker grabbed it with his free hand and took a sip "Mmm…"

He smacked his lips as he cocked the gun. "Now, I think, you should apologize…"

The surgeon looked at Lia and whimpered "I'm sorry."

Joker waved the gun around, while keeping it centered on him "For…?"

It was then that Cornelia knew that this guy wasn't walking out of this alive. Glancing over her shoulder, she noticed surgeon boy's friends had been forced out of the club. "I'm s-s-sorry for calling you a c-c-cunt."

Joker shook his head and pouted "Tsk, tsk, surgeon boy… That didn't sound very sincere."

Lia grasped her ears and cried out as the gun went off. The Surgeon crumbled to the floor, his face reduced to slab of singed meat. Joker smirked and looked at Cornelia. Slowly, she looked at him. He didn't look at her, instead he handed the glass back to her "Another…"

With that, he turned and walked toward his office. Not long after, security came for the body and took it out back. Shuddering, Lia walked back behind the bar and made drink. Suppose working there couldn't be any worse than here.

(Author's Note: So just as I am set to start my new job on monday, the tattoo parlor I applied with calls for an interview. Last time I interviewed with them, they offered me a position 10 minutes after the interview, which I turned down because they wanted me working with them in 2 days. So I'm sure I'll have to make a decision this weekend about where I'd like to go.)


	9. Peroxide

Lia spent the rest of her evening in silence as she slung drinks. Joker did not speak to her on the subject of her transfer. Business was slow tonight, so that left the bartender ample time to perform the usual chores, although, considering the fact that she was jumping to another location. She gave herself permission to slack off on her duties. Lia figured she had earned herself the break considering how well she handled seeing a customer get shot in the face, and then watched as a couple low level goons carted the body off to God knows where.

Even with the slacking off, Cornelia took it upon her to get the stain off the carpet. Grabbing a brown plastic bottle from under the bar, she poured cold water over the stain and sprayed it with the contents of the bottle. As a woman, and a meta, Lia was pretty adept at getting blood stains out of carpets and most fabrics. Watching as the hydrogen peroxide ate away at the dried gore, Lia came to a conclusion that the required knowledge of getting out blood stains must make women very talented killers.

Getting on her knees, she dabbed away the peroxide, nodding her satisfaction at the lifted stain. Chuckling, she scanned the rest of the carpet, it looked dirtier with the suspicious clean patch. The Centerfold was the pits, when compared to places like Grin and Bare It. Lia was pretty sure Cove was about to face foreclosure (or meeting a sticky end at the hands of whatever gang he paid to keep his club protected and barely buoyant in the financial sense) when Joker came in last month and hit him with an offer that Cove couldn't refuse, even if he wanted to. In this line of work, on this side of town, no one said no to the Joker. Although, somehow Lia was getting away with it. Essentially, her blatant refusal to reveal what she was to the Clown was a basic "fuck you."

Only now did it occur to Lia, how satisfying that was. Of all the people who caved in to the Joker, brutally tortured and murdered as a result, she was one of the select few who managed to live a little over a month upon issuance of her refusal to Joker. The thought was rather amusing, it made up for the fact that in other demands, she'd been made to roll over and submit.

A month was a long time, it made her wonder if she'd make it to the holidays. Lia had always been fond of Christmas, the snow made the city a bit nicer. It covered up all the garbage in the streets and made the walks to and from work a bit more pleasant.

Pushing a wild ruddy strand of hair from her face, Lia sent out another batch of drinks to the floor. Her one waitress had finally felt the desire to grace the club with her presence. With a sneer, she spun the closed bottle in her hands and set it behind her. This particular waitress was called Brittany, and she had developed the habit of withholding the bartenders' share of tips, preferring to keep the majority of the money for herself. Much to Cornelia's annoyance, she'd confronted the snooty little waif multiple times on the matter, only to find that the little bitch had the high opinion that the tips were the result on her good looks. Lia couldn't see it, chemical blonde with sunkin eyes, sallow skin, and bad breath. Tonight though, Brittany looked pissed and was putting in the effort to make that known.

Coming back to the bar with a tray of empties, she let the tray fall to the surface with an obvious clang. "Somethin on your mind sport?"

Lia looked up from cleaning a glass and smirked. Brittany wasn't amused in the slightest. "Heard the boss was sending you to Grin and Bare it starting tomorrow…."

The high pitch of her voice seemed to go up and octave, its sickly sweet tones reminiscent of nails on a chalkboard. Lia shrugged and maintained eye contact "What's it to you."

Brittany smiled "Sleepin your way ta the top? Hadn't pegged ya for that?"

Setting the glass down, the bartender leaned closer "Oh, Brittany, I don't have to stoop to your levels to get ahead in life."

The waitress gaped at her and was set with a comeback, until Lia raised an eyebrow "Don't go spreading rumors, especially ones involving our boss…"

Leaning forward she hissed into her coworker's ear "He just shot a customer in face because he spat in my face, don't make the same mistake…"

She watched as the shudder ran up her coworker's spine. Smirking Lia drew away and returned to cleaning the stemware "Besides, the boss isn't exactly my type and last I checked. He's got a girl….

Sliding the clean martini glass onto the ceiling wrack among its fellows, Lia paused and mused aloud. "Seems to have a thing for fake blondes…"

The bartender smirked as Brittany all but ran away with a tray of fresh drinks, shaking her head Lia muttered after her "Doll, that hair dye is starting to chew on what's left of your brain."

(Author's Note: Sorry for the delay in updates. A coworker of mine is on vacation, so I'm working a full time schedule until she comes back the week after next. Good for my wallet and my plans to do a solo trip to Germany next year. Bad for my sleeping schedule. I'm also working on an original short novel so that's taken some time away from writing fics. Anyway, hope you enjoy this new installment.)


	10. Knuckles

Still, Brittany's words, though a bit ridiculous, left Lia with something to think about. Joker wasn't moving around his employees to create variety amidst his establishments. Anyone with half brain could figure that out as crap, easy. Racking up a clean glass, she rubbed her eyes. It was obvious, she hadn't been careful enough in her actions to stay under the radar, despite all efforts she'd made herself a suspect. Although, she wasn't the only one. It seemed that a few of the strippers didn't bruise easily enough for the boss. Snickering at the thought, Cornelia poured herself a shot of whiskey and knocked it back. A hiss of satisfaction running through her teeth.

Absently, she inspected the various band aids that bejeweled her fingers. Maybe she'd take the injuries a bit further to officially throw him. Let the next violent customer break a bone…. Or two. Joker couldn't argue that as an act, even he would find the deliberate action of maintaining broken bones a bit insane, even excessive. Knocking back a second shot, Lia snickered again, earning a look from one of the bar flies a couple feet away. The bartender glared back "What're you looking at Frank!?"

He looked away, the last time he pissed her off, she'd hit him hard enough to shatter one of his eye sockets. Raising an eyebrow, Lia started wiping down the bar "S'what I thought."

That was when a chuckle sounded behind her. Pursing her lips, Lia nodded her head in annoyance, awesome, just what she needed. "You gotta calm down Knuckles."

Her boss leered and fit his tattooed hand over his mouth, displaying the hyper real smile tattooed on his freakishly white skin "Can't have you scaring away customers."

 _"Like you're one to talk."_ Lia bit back her witty retort, sure that if it had come out, she wouldn't like the outcome. Instead she turned her attention to cleaning the bar "Frank and I have an understanding…"

Joker, cocked his head with interest. Then he proceeded to hop up onto an empty bar stool. "Oooh, do tell."

He wasn't going away, with a sigh Lia put down the rag and gave him her attention. "Frank thought it was ok for him to reach behind the bar and steal bottles. Cove was taking the loss out of my salary, when I caught him…"

The bartender glanced over at the guilty barfly and shrugged "I shattered his eye socket. To avoid assault charges, which would trump his theft charges, I told him he could keep coming back."

Frank was listening, his red laced eyes swiveled to meet hers "So long as he didn't get sticky fingers…"

The drunk shuddered at her words "Ain't that right Frank."

He nodded hurriedly "You're a m-merciful womannn, Mz. Eves."

Lia rolled her eyes at his slurring and proceeded to refill his glass of cheap peach schnapps. It was all he could afford these days. "If I was, I'd stop serving you so you could pay your fucking medical bills, you drunken moron."

Frank swayed a little, he wasn't far from being fully shit faced. Joker snickered. "So violent Knuckles, my Harley would just adore you…"

Screwing the cap back on the schnapps, doing her best not to sneer at the mention of his blonde doll. Maybe he was recruiting acceptable girlfriends for his Queen. Get a redhead to replace another one. Lia pursed her lips "I don't keep friends boss…."

The clown pouted "Aww, we're not friends?"

Her eyes widened for a moment, Lia wasn't sure how to come at this question. "I didn't figure you for a friend type."

His red coated lips stretched "Oh, sweets, I have all kinds of friends, in the lowest and highest of places."

That said, he hopped off the bar stool and made for a booth "You can go after you get us a tray of Sucker Punches."

(Author's note: Looks like Joker has picked out a special nickname for Lia)


	11. Sucker Punch

Glancing at the group that her boss had gestured to, Lia set about making a batch of Sucker punches. The drink request was simple enough, vodka, grenadine, elder flower liquor, and bitters. A tart punch in the mouth with a lingering sweetness. Lia had never pegged the Joker for a sugar fiend, but have playing his bartender, she had discovered the guy had a serious sweet tooth when it came to his leisure drinks. He only hit the hard stuff when he was having a rough night.

After topping each drink with a twist or orange and some zest, Lia delivered the drinks over herself. Not in the mood to argue with Brittany over tips. Much to Brittany's chagrin, the blonde bimbo sneered at her from across the lounge "Oh, a little rivalry Knuckles?"

Joker nodded towards Brittany, who in turn choked on her own spit, and looked away. Lia eyed and decided one dead person was enough excitement for the evening "That's just her face, boss."

She flinched when he slammed a hand into her back, raucous laughter assaulting her ears. Merciful fuck, the clown laughed at anything and everything "Lia, Lia, you never cease to amuse me."

Nodding, Lia set down the last Sucker Punch. Turning, she made to leave. Only to feel her wrist being shackled into place. "Common Knuckles, sit for a spell1"

Before she could shake off his grip, the boss pulled her into his lap. She landed roughly, and his arms locked around her place, forcing her back to rest against his chest. Lia found herself seizing up at the contact, her heart thudded against her rib cage, making the bones tremble. His cold hands splayed out on her stomach. She forced herself to take deep breathes, Lia refused to lose control. He was testing her, seeing how far he could push her. Chuckling, Joker nuzzled into her neck and took a deep breath "Mmm, you smell nice Knuckles."

Lia had been using the same jasmine green tea body wash for years. She'd stop by the store tonight and get a new body wash… And a new shampoo, unscented, just to be safe. His thumbs slipped into the belt loops of her pants, while his fingers reached under her shirt, nails digging into her hips. Lia's fingers clawed as she fought the urge to land a fist into his jaw. Joker's men chuckled at his antics, their eyes looked her over, showing their approval in her being their boss's prey. Unable to hold back pure instinct, Lia relinquished a snarl and bared her teeth at them. A couple of the men paled, but Joker only laughed "I'll let you up Knuckles, if you ask nicely…"

Power play, he was forcing her to roll over again. His eyes bore into hers, waiting. Groaning internally, Lia bowed her head and averted her gaze, showing subjugation. "Boss. Would you please let me up?"

He purred and pressed his lips to her forehead "Mmm, that wasn't very sincere, Knuckles."

Lia bit back a snarl and looked him the eye. "Boss, would it be alright if I got up and went home… Pretty please."

Her voice was laced with sugar, taking on an accent that almost mimicked his Harley's. Smiling, Joker removed his lips from her forehead with a loud smack. He pushed her off his lap, and was ready for it. "Get out! you're boring me anyway."

He licked the metal caps of his teeth, and watched as the bartender walked away. Lia quelled the urge in her to run, it took a lot of effort but she refused to give Joker the satisfaction that he had scared the shit out of her. As she made for the bar, she passed Brittany. For once, the blonde kept her bitchy opinions to herself. Instead she kept her head down and went about her work. Just as Lia was pulling on her sweatshirt, her early morning relief showed up. Without even sparing a look at the Joker, she left the club and high tailed it to the local grocery store. She needed a shower, but not with her usual shampoo and wash. He liked the scent of jasmine green tea, and he liked her orchid shampoo. Lia's own scent caused puke to curdle horribly at the back of her throat as she tore down the body care isle. "Unscented, need unscented."

(Apologies for the short chapters, I've been busy with life. I have comic-con this weekend and then right after I'm heading to LA for a much needed vacation. My brother scored Hamilton tickets. Not to mention the fact that the entire state that I live in, is on fire. Being choked out by smoke leaves one a little uninspired when writing. So again, yes I know the chapters are short, but it is better than no chapters)


	12. Freak of the Week

When she got home, Lia stripped as she made her way to the bathroom. After setting down her purchases, she turned on the water refusing to wait for it to heat up. The ice cold sent a shock through her body, it seemed to wake her up from her dazed numbness. Knees buckling, Lia let the water stream through her hair. Lifting her right arm to her mouth, she clamped her teeth down and bit hard and screamed through the agony and blood. Her moment of vocal rage and terror were muffled by the flesh of her arm. The blood dribbled down and smacked the sterile porcelain, turning pink as the now hot water, diluted it.

After a few minutes, Lia relinquished her arm, watching as the horrifying cuts of her teeth quickly faded. Within seconds, all that remained of the self-inflicted injury was the diluted specks of blood that were slowly fading towards the drain. Slowly, Lia drew to her full height and let the water rain down across her face. Eyes closed, she grabbed for the unscented bar of soap and scrubbed it with a wash cloth until it lathered. Sighing, she attacked her skin, rubbing away any trace of her old body wash, leaving behind angry red splotches that quickly vanished.

It took 30 minutes for Lia to feel clean and scentless. Satisfied, she tackled her hair next. Finding no solace in the unscented shampoo. Somehow, that clown managed to ruin showers for her. Of all the things he could have ruined, it had to be fucking showers. Sneering, Lia rinsed her hair out and turned off the water. After a thorough drying session, she looked at herself in the mirror. He had only been paying her attention for a week, and already she looked like a skeleton. The fear of being found out was bad enough that Lia had forgotten to eat. At the thought, as if awakened, her stomach relinquished a roar. All she had eaten today, was that fish sandwich. It was too late to order delivery and Lia yawned at the thought of actually making something. She'd resolve to eating sleep for dinner.

Sleep did not come easy to Lia, the hours seemed to be punctuated with nightmares. Most of which, centered on the Joker. They all ended with the clown putting a bullet in her head. One of the obnoxious things about being unable to die, was the fact that being shot in a dream did not result in being woken. Nightmares did not end for Lia until her alarm went off several hours later, till then she was a prisoner to multiple deaths, played on repeat.

When her alarm did go off, Lia fell back into her bed and groaned "Fucking clown…"

She was exhausted but doubted that she'd be able to get any sleep if last night was any indication. Snarling, Lia got out of bed and walked into the kitchen. Phoebe had already left for her classes, and had left a mess in the kitchen. "Bitch."

There were days when Lia wished she had bit the bullet and moved to a cheaper apartment. Sometimes keeping a roommate was just not worth the headache. After cleaning up, Lia forced herself to eat half a bowl of stale cheerios. Though her nausea did not help much on that front. After dumping the remainder in the trash, she performed her usual morning workout.

It wasn't long until it was time to apply the usual injuries. As before, Lia took a seat on the counter and went about applying all her cuts and bruises taking into account the passing of time and how far along they were in the healing process. This included putting another hole in the wall behind "Pecker." Within an hour, she managed to apply all the injuries necessary to pass under the scrutiny. Hoping down from the counter, she threw on some clothes, seeing that she'd be getting her uniform today, Lia figured it didn't matter how she looked going in. After tying off her ratty combat boots and snatching up her camo jacket, she rushed out of the door. Grin and Bare It was further from her apartment than Centerfold, so she'd have to get an early start as far as walking was concerned.

As she walked, Lia switched on her iPod.

 _I'm the new black  
I'm opium to thee  
Will do anything  
For popularity  
Mutilate myself  
Become an amputee  
Like me, like me  
Won't you like me?_

Smirking, Lia turned up the volume. The song seemed appropriate for her condition. She was indeed, a freak of the week.

 _I'm your freak of the week  
Another freak of the week  
Bigger than any wiki leak  
Blow myself up for free  
Break my neck in HD_

Only difference was that she didn't strive to be liked or to show off her talents as a freak. Probably wouldn't blow herself up on purpose, hell that was one thing she was certain there was no coming back from. Fatal gunshots, beatings, and knife injuries, she'd survived. But she'd never had the "pleasure" of being blown up.

 _I'm you freak of the week  
Spreading like the plague  
Hole in one! Touché!  
Seven million views  
In a single day  
Who's your daddy now?  
Who's leading the way?  
Like me, like me_

There were days where she really did want to test her limits. Go to highest building, throw herself off, and see if she woke up. Take a bullet to the head, maybe overdose on heroine. Shit, overdose on Scarecrow's fear toxin. Lia glanced down at her scared knuckles and raised an eyebrow. With some conditioning, maybe she'd achieve immortality, like those who had small doses of poison to develop immunities…. "Christ, that would blow."

Shoving her hands into her pockets, Lia pressed on. Shivering as the evening air bit into flesh of her face. Things like this annoyed her about having advanced healing, the fact that she was still capable of feeling painful annoyances like the harshness of a cold wild or the burning sensation of the scalding sun. True, her pain threshold was high due to the fact that every pain she had experienced would quickly vanish and all the gashes and bruises were quickly mended.

Reaching up, she touched a minor bruise on her face. Taking into account the natural healing process, it would soon be on its way out. Thank God, perhaps she'd work on avoiding confrontation, applying these injuries before work every night was becoming tiresome. Honestly, Joker couldn't be watching her that closely. Thought in mind, Lia aloud the bruise on her face to heal over.

(Author's Note: Again, apologies for the long delay. I've been trying to sit down and write since last week. But my new kitten demands attention and likes to nibble my fingers while I work. I just adopted her last week, she's 6 weeks old and a stray. A friend found her on her doorstep at 3am, all alone. My roommate and I couldn't resist and had had plans to get a cat for a while. So we adopted her. She's black with white markings and green eyes. We call her Piana for her keyboard toes. Anyway, that aside, I hope you like the latest chapter.)


	13. Nocturne

At long last, she found herself at the entrance to Grin and Bare It. With a sneer, she made to go inside but heard a _psst_ sounding from the alley a few feet away. Looking up, she found a tall and well-built guy wearing a muscle shirt with a comical grin scrawled across the chest. The image inspired a smirk as they looked each other over "You Eves?"

"Who wants to know?"

The guy raised an eyebrow "Boss mentioned that a red head with an attitude would being starting tonight."

Lia rolled her eyes and shouldered her bag as she walked towards the alley "Hoping for a good attitude, not a piss poor one…"

Placing a hand on her hip, she jutted out her lip. "And I answer to you?"

"You answer to me, to Frost, and first and foremost, Mr. J."

Of course the universe would be this cruel "Alright Muscles… we going in or….?"

Muscles nodded "Main entrance is for guests, employees use the side entrance."

Lia nodded and pursed her lips "Of course."

That said, she followed her newly established supervisor towards the side entrance. "Boss only brought one bartender over from Centerfold, Thank merciful fuck."

Unlocking the side door, Muscles ushered her in "Your uniform is the dressing rooms, you can change there."

He nodded to the door to the left, and then walked off. Leaving Lia alone in hallway. Shouldering her bag, she opened the door and walked right into a large pair of semi covered fake tits "The Fuck!"

Perfect way to start off first shift, she stepped back. Pretending that she hadn't just accidentally motor boated the unnaturally voluptuous stripper. "Muscles told me to change in here."

Lia had to admit, the dancer recovered quickly "Oh! You're that bartender the boss brought on."

She flipped her dark purple hair and licked her lips, revealing a pierced tongue. It was then that the red head remembered Felicity talking about her girlfriend at Grin and Bare It. "You're Nocturne?"

Nocturne winked and ran a finger up and down the bit of bare arm that Lia's jacket didn't cover "Oh, you've heard of me."

Flirt! Smirking, Lia stepped around her "Your girlfriend mentioned you. Said you're a self-proclaimed nymphomaniac."

Nocturne giggled and followed her back into the dressing room "Self-proclaimed? Oh baby, I've had the therapy sessions to prove it."

Raising an eyebrow, Lia shrugged off her jacket and took off her shirt. Nocture bit her lower lip as she took in the new bartender's pale freckled skin. "Wanna test me?"

She curled a strand of purple hair around her pointer finger "The Dr. Sigmund loved to test me."

Chuckling, Lia pulled the ridiculously on the black bralette "I think I'm good…."

Shucking off her jeans, she traded them for the leather pants. Winking at Nocturne as she saw the dancer lick her lips. Shaking her head, the stripper adopted a serious tone. "You be careful hun, Boss likes girls like you."

After lacing up her combat boots, Cornelia stood. "And I don't like men like him."

Nocturne had really sobered up "Think that matters?"

Shaking her head, the stripper walked out "You be careful, Boss don't give a shit what you like."

Lia knew too well, even if a woman wanted him, he'd do the worst shit to keep them at his side. She'd heard enough about Harley Quinn, and that was enough. Rolling her shoulders, Lia followed Nocturne out and towards the main floor. At least she got in good with a stripper. The purple haired nympho seemed to have a good lay of the club. Playing her game, would keep Lia out of trouble…. Mostly

(Author's Note: Well, my little Piana is adjusting well to her home. She is convinced that everything in this apartment is hers and that includes both her mommies. Anyway, I'll be pulling extra hours at work with the holidays coming up, so it might be a bit before I update again. I really do need to give attention back to Naughty Needles, so I'll try to put focus on that.) 


	14. Muscles

Entering into the main room of the club, Lia glanced around. The bass was loud, and made her ribs shake and jostled her heart, making its beats seem irregular. When she was younger, places like this seemed like heaven, but after a couple years of maturing, Lia had grown to hate them.

Her thighs strained against the leather of her pants, and her breasts were being suffocated by the bralette. Shifting a little, Lia moved to pick at a slow forming wedgie. It was then she realized how out of place she felt. Surprisingly, she found herself longing for the dark and musty rooms of Centerfold. After giving the place another look over, she grimaced and made for the bar, where Muscles was standing.

As she walked over, he looked her over with a wolfish grin. "Now I see what boss was talkin 'bout. You clean up good."

His entire demeanor had changed. Once a jackass, Muscles had taken on an air of charm. Tits and ass had a tendency to do that. It felt disingenuous, which was why Lia preferred to wearing layers and baggy clothing. Rolling her eyes, she sneered "Yeah, and you still look like a jackass in a muscle shirt."

As to be expected, Muscles seemed to be charmed by Lia's blatant bitchiness. One of the few positives to tits and ass. "Cute, keep the attitude for the clients…"

He walked out from behind the bar "But never use it on the boss."

Lia followed him as he set out to give her the tour "Do I look like I have a death wish?"

Muscles shrugged and showed her around without comment. There were a lot of people in the club already, despite it still being early. As they walked past a particular rowdy group of customers, Muscles glanced over his shoulder. "Frost told me you're good at dealing with touchy clients?"

Lia watched as Nocturne spun gracefully on her pole and anchored herself to it as she threw her head back and blew a kiss at her admirers. Seeing Lia, the dancer winked and then continued on with her routine. "I wouldn't classify myself as good."

Raising and eyebrow, Muscles looked her over "He said you had no trouble taking out drunks that were twice your size."

Lia looked away from Nocturne after shooting her a smile "He exaggerates."

"Frost tells it like it is."

Smirking, she walked past him. "He exaggerates."

After being shown the stock room at the privates rooms, Lia was behind the bar slinging drinks. Grin and Bare It, kept a classic drink menu with a few house specials that changed every other week. Thankfully, she was able to keep up with demand and was able to serve patrons without difficulty through most of her shift. Lia felt herself fortunate, seeing that Joker hadn't come in at all. She had hope that she could wrap up her shift without seeing him. Sadly, the universe was not so kind.

Lia had two hours to go in her shift when one of the customers decided to get grabby. It was rookie mistake, bending slightly at the hip to set a drink order on a low table. It resulted in her ass sticking out, unprotected. That was when a hand struck out and grabbed her ass. Grubby fingers digging into the leather, as long unkempt nails scratched the material. Taking a deep breath, set down her last drink, emptying her tray. Gripping the tray, she spun and smiled as the metal gave and relinquished a sickening crunch as it connected to the assaulter's face. Naturally, he let go, and fell to the floor. Blood oozed from his nose, as he clutched it and whimpered. Tucking the now damaged tray under her arm, Lia took a knee and glared at him. "Hands to yourself greasy."

Tears streamed from his eyes, then they swiveled and widened in terror. A familiar cackle sounded from behind her. Closing her eyes, Lia's lips thinned in annoyance. "Just perfect."

Slowly, she got up and spun around to face the last person she wanted to see. "Boss."

She greeted him with nod. He giggled and leaned into his jeweled cane, looking down at her latest victim. "I see you've settled in nicely?"

Lia glanced over her shoulder at the skuzzball on the floor "Suppose you could say that."

Turning back, she eyed him carefully. After all, she did just beat up one of him customers in his territory. Maybe he was ok with blatant sexual harassment. Joker pouted and reached out, grabbing Lia chin. "Don't look so worried Knuckles, I'm not gonna punish you…."

He purred the last few words "Unless, you want me to."

Joker inclined his head in question as his gloved fingers caressed Lia's chin. "No, I'm good."

A shiver of disgust ran up her spine, and goosebumps jumped to attention on her arms. He licked his lips and then looked over her shoulder "Well, as my customers know, at Grin and Bare It, we have one rule…"

He walked past Lia and crouched over the whimpering scum on the floor. The poor bastard was terrified, ready to piss himself. "Don't touch what's mine…."

The clown snarled the rule as he lashed out and backhanded the man, who screamed in agony as the many rings laid out a series of cuts on his face. A single tooth was sent flying. The man cried, and crumpled to the floor. Satisfied, Joker stood and gestured for one of the door men. Judging by the look on the bleeding man's face, his punishment was far from over. Lia watched as they dragged him out back.

Feeling an arm drape across her bare shoulders, Lia turned and found Joker's eyes. He licked his lips again and held something up to her "I believe you left these the dressing room?"

He held up her knuckle dusters. Lia slowly took them and laced her fingers into the holes. Finding comfort in the cool metal. A thought occurred to her, he had gone through her stuff. Her feeling violation must had shown on her face. The Joker laughed, and pressed his forehead to hers "Something you should know Knuckles, nothing is off limits to me…. Now get back to work."

Rage lit a fire in his eyes, and he shoved her towards the bar. Lia stumbled but refused to look back, she'd had enough of him for one night. Thankfully, their latest interaction had been brief.

(Author's Note: So, I have officially booked my tickets for Germany. Next September I'll be embarking on my first trip off the North American continent, and it'll be my first solo trip. Still booking places to stay. Anyway, super excited. Also found out the kitten I adopted a couple of month ago, is male. So he's been renamed Pinot Noir.)


	15. Taste

Lia spent the rest of her shift at the bar. She decided to hang her dusters around her neck on a breakaway chain. Easy to remove and easy to put back on. They were heavy and slightly bizarre, but comforting. Patrons eyed it but made no comment. Lia felt a sense of power wearing them, people looked afraid. As if aware that she had no qualms beating the piss out of anyone that deserved it. Lia chuckled at the thought as she slid shot of bourbon down the bar towards a waiting hand. "You seem to be adjusting well."

Glancing up, the bartender found herself looking at Nocturne. Fully clothed, and sporting a partially smoked cigarette between her pouting purple lips. "Saw what you did to that bastard earlier, impressive."

Lia grabbed the cigarette and took a drag, relishing in the flavorful burst of nicotine. Letting out a puff of smoke, she smiled "Should see what I can do with these babies."

She nodded down towards her chest, where the brass knuckles rested. Nocturne licked her lips, taking to eyeing Lia's chest over the dusters "I'm sure those babies could really knock someone out."

Lia giggled and handed back the cigarette "How did you ever nab a naïve little fairy like Felicity?"

Nocturne took a drag "She's a people pleaser, and I love to be pleased."

Stubbing out the cancer stick in one of the crystal ashtrays on the bar, the stripper leaned forward and whispered in Lia's ear "But, I think I'd have more fun with you."

Lia smirked, and pulled away slowly and turned "Think you got the wrong impression about me, I'm the furthest thing from fun."

Nocturne took a seat "As much as I avoid the Boss, we have a similar taste in women."

The bartender gagged and poured a glass of red wine into a glass, handing it over "Taste in women eh?"

Taking a sip of wine, the stripper shrugged "He likes you, Rosetop."

Lia shuddered. "You're just his type."

The bartender pulled a face "What, antisocial and bitchy?"

Nocturne rolled her eyes "No, strong and violent. You've heard of his Queen right?"

Who in Gotham hadn't heard of Harley Quinn. Details about her were bit fuzzy, GPD was reluctant to release any information about her life before Joker. The public agreed on one rumor though. Before Joker, she was sane. Either way, Quinn was ruthless and oddly peppy about it. Perhaps there were similarities. "Don't get your hopes up those Rosy."

Lia blinked and returned her attention to Nocturne "Boss is on the scent of some meta human. Ran her over with his car a couple month back. I think he's wanting her as his second."

Fighting the urge to gag, Lia laughed "Oh yeah? Who told you that?"

The stripper polished off her wine and smiled fondly "Harley and I go out every once in a while. Apparently, 'Puddin' can't stop talking 'bout it."

Great, his obsession had only gotten worse. Nocturne slid off her the bar stool, making to leave. Suddenly, she paused and smiled at Lia "You should join us sometime. She's got shitty taste in men, but Quinn's good for a fun time."

Forcing her worry down, Lia raised an eyebrow "Are you asking me for a threesome?"

The stripper winked "Well, if you want. I don't see Harley saying no to it. She's seen you, wanted to know if the carpet matches the drapes."

With that, Nocturne left the club. Lia was left to wrap up the rest of her night with an air of arousal and terror at the thought of Joker being more obsessed about sniffing her out than she had anticipated.

(Author's Note: Hit by the writing bug. Wish it was more centered on my original work, but beggars can't be choosers. Anyway, yes Cornelia is either bisexual or pansexual. Let me know what you think of the story so far!)


	16. Golden

Lia was in the process of changing into her street clothes when the door to the dressing room opened. What greeted her was a whirlwind of blonde, red, and blue. For the first few seconds, she wasn't sure what to think. Here she was, jeans around her knees, bra askew from tearing off that overly tight bralette, and in walked Harley fucking Quinn.

The pair stared at each other for minute before Quinn decided to break the ice. "You're Knuckles!"

Oh peachy, appears that 'Puddin' had been talking about her. "It's what _he_ calls me."

Harley raised an eyebrow. Biting her lip, Lia sighed and yanked up her pants "I'm Cornelia…"

Quinn pulled a face "Sounds like an old lady name…"

Smirking, Lia slipped on her shirt "It is…. Most people call me Lia."

The clown queen nodded her approval "I like that."

Pulling on her jacket, Lia snagged her bag "Yeah, most people do. Well, anyway have a good night Ms. Quinn."

Just as she was about to walk out the door, Harley placed her arm in front of her "Ah-ah, one second Red. I got somethin for ya!"

Oh Christ, she was gonna try and kill her! Lia stepped back, preparing for the worst. She wouldn't die of course, her body's instincts wouldn't let that happen. It would force her to heal before she could draw her last breath. Quinn giggled "Don't look so scared, Knuckles! I ain't gonna hurt ya."

She pulled a small white box from behind her back "Puddin wanted me to give this to ya."

Lia eyed it for a second and then glanced up at Harley "It's not gonna explode is it?"

Granted, she'd survive an explosion. But that didn't mean that being blown wouldn't be any less painful. That being said, she kept her hands where they were, latched firmly to the strap of her bag. Quinn giggled "Imaginative aren't ya?"

Shrugging, Lia continued to eye the white box "Not really."

Slowly, she reached out and took the box. Harley smiled gleefully and grabbed Lia's shoulders and spun her around. Standing at the bartender's back "Open it, open it!"

Taking a deep breath, Lia lifted the lid. Inside was a layer of purple and gold tissue paper. Quinn hummed happily, as she allowed a finger to absently twirl a strand of dirt red hair. "Common, I wanna see."

After a couple more seconds of Quinn's goading, Lia lifted the tissue paper and gaped. Resting in the folds of purple and gold rested a pair of knuckle dusters. The knuckles themselves were pointed, and along the line of clutch there was a speckle of diamonds. Upon closer inspection, Lia realized that they formed a small J. She stared at gift, at a complete loss for words while Harley rested her chin on her shoulder and giggled "Mmm, he thought ya deserved somethin special."

Lia glanced over at Harley, who in turn reached down and grabbed her old pair of brass knuckles. "I told Puddin that gold would complement your complexion, bring out that fab red hair."

Quinn stroked her hair and smiled. Completely blissful, despite the fact that Lia looked ready to bolt out of her arms. "I-I… I'm not sure what to say…"

"A thank you, is usually customary Knuckles…"

Her heart sank, Lia had been so sure that she could wrap up her first shift at this club with only one interaction with her boss. But, the universe was a bitch and had other plans. The Clown Prince of Crime, strolled into the dressing room, bone white fingers laced around the girth of silver walking stick. "Have ya tried em on?"

Harley squealed and all but threw herself at the Joker "Puddin!"

Boss sneered, but took her excitement in stride. Unfortunately, that didn't tear his attention away from Lia. "Can't have my favorite bartender walkin around with cut up hands."

Lia dipped her head and eyed the newly forming scars on her fingers. Licking her lips, she dipped her head lower "Thanks Boss."

Joker chuckled and stepped forward, Lia responded by taking a step back. Before she could create even more distance, the clown grabbed her arm and pulled her close. Taking his gift from the box, he pulled them out "Let's….try em on, shall we?"

He grabbed Lia's right arm and lift it. His hands were freezing to the touch, and Lia shuddered as his finger pressed on the pulse point of her wrist. Forcing her fist to give and her fingers to slacken. Joker looked her dead in the eyes as her slipped the golden dusters onto her fingers. After a solid minute, he diverted his attention to her hand "The perfect fit."

Quinn slipped in behind Lia, "Like Cinderella!"

Lia visibly shuddered at the comparison. Joker giggled and pressed his lips against the gold knuckles. "Beautiful and deadly."

She hoped that he was talking about the golden brass knuckles. Giving Joker a ragger was not even on Lia's list of shit she wanted in life.

(Author's Note: Another chapter! I'm on a role here my dear readers! So, tell me, what do you think will happen to our dear Cornelia?)


	17. Affections

His touch made her feel nauseous, that much was certain. It didn't help that Quinn had taken to resting her chin her shoulder while she eyed Joker as he took in the overall craftsmanship of the dusters. Lia's fingers clawed slightly, betraying her high level of discomfort "Hmm, Harls was right, the gold really set off that complexion o' yours."

He massaged the joints of her fingers and purred slightly. Lia felt like puking, she could feel the contents of her stomach curdling at the back of her throat. Boss probably wouldn't appreciate her upchucking all over his face. The thought made Lia smile. Poor timing on her part, Joker saw the slight break in her stony expression. "Well, well, well, Medusa smiles after all."

The clown grabbed for her chin and made her look at him. "Such beautiful…. Teeth. Like perfectly preserved shells."

He forced her mouth open as he inspected them. "No fillings, no chips, absolute perfection…"

Lia snapped her teeth shut, wanting the inspection to be over. Sadly, it seemed that Joker was far from finished. Taking up a lock of her dirt red hair, he allowed the strands to slide through his fingers. Slowly, he brought it to his nose and sniffed. Lia felt her stomach plummet when he paused and sniffed again "Going the unscented route?"

The bartender looked him right in the eye. "Scented stuff makes me nauseous."

Raising a nonexistent eyebrow, he released the curl of hair. "Such a…Pity. Maybe you could humor your boss…."

Harley giggled into her ear as he drew closer and touched his nose to hers. "Think of it as a…. Personal favor. I love the smell of jasmine."

She was going to hurl once he left, that much was certain. Again, he grabbed for her hand and pressed his lips to the gold dusters, and then he slowly brought his lips to the pulse on her wrist. Finally, he let her go and made for the door. Harley wasn't far behind, but she paused and spun around. Pressing her lips to Lia's before she could register what had just happened, the psychotic couple was gone.

Her stomach couldn't take much more. Grabbing for the waste basket, Lia emptied the contents of her stomach. Shaking, she pressed her back up against the cool and solid dressing room wall. Lifting up her hand, she eyed the gold that laced between her fingers. There was no denying that they were beautiful and incredibly well made. Shit, she had little doubt about these suckers being solid gold. They definitely cost more than she made in a year, shit, make that two years.

Joker was really piling on the gifts and the physical "affections," going so far as to do it in front of his Queen. Damn, Harley seemed content to lay on some "affections" of her own. Pressing her fingers to her lips, Lia could feel the sheen of gloss on them. When she licked her lips, she tasted cherry vanilla. What the fuck were those two up to?

At this point, Lia found herself wondering if Joker knew that she was the one he hit with his car. No, that didn't seem likely. If Joker knew that she was the one he had been looking for, for the past few months, he would gloat about it. The thought that he was showering her with gifts and affections simply because he felt a connection, made Lia want to puke again. Being the object of Joker's attentions was the furthest thing any sane woman in Gotham wanted.

Lia carefully removed the golden knuckles and placed them back in their box. The thought of hawking them crossed her mind, briefly. If she got a good price, it could fund her escape. She could move to Metropolis, and gain the protections of Superman as a citizen. Joker tussled with Batman on the regular, but he seemed content to not push Superman into a fight.

Unfortunately the idea seemed impossible. Joker would come after her the moment he noticed that she had sold the dusters. Shit, skipping town like that would likely tip him off on her being a meta human. Lia shuddered at the thought, he'd likely shoot her over and over again as a form of punishment. Joker had already invested so much in smoking her out, going into Metropolis didn't seem like much of a stretch when compared to when the clown bought a failing strip joint on the off chance that she worked there.

Eyes the knuckles in their box, she closed it and shoved it in her bag. There was no escaping the Joker, he had brought her further into his world. The only way to get out from under his wing at this point, was dying. For Lia, that wasn't much of an option. It never would be

(Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait, the holidays were a bit crazy for me. Hopefully things should calm down for the next couple months and I can get back to putting out chapters for not just this fic, but others. Anyway, hope you all had enjoyable holidays. Hope you like the latest chapter)


	18. Purify

With a huff, she stood on weary legs and made for the exit. Exhausted was an understatement at this point. Lia was both physically and emotionally drained. Something her healing factor couldn't erase in seconds, a shame a blessing. Going without something as therapeutic as sleep would have been terrible. Almost immortality was enough of a curse. Shouldering her bag, Lia chuckled and eyes the tendrils of mist as it fluttered from her cracked lips. It was probably 20 degrees out at this point, and she hadn't thought to dress for it.

With a groan, she pulled her hood on and started walking down the sidewalk. Doing her best to ignore the drunken hordes of Grin and Bare It patrons. The entire block wreaked of stale cigarettes, weed, and excessive booze. Lia wrinkled her freckled nose, the smell was ruining her first whiff of fresh air after 9 hours of going without. Keeping her head down, she walked past the main entrance, doing her best do avoid bumping shoulders with anyone. Preferring to breeze through the crowd quickly and undetected "Hey, it's the new girl!"

A hand came out of nowhere and hooked its fingers her shoulder. Lia froze and slowly turned her head to look at the offending object "You're the new bartender, the red head?"

The stranger wasn't letting go until she answered. Lia shoulders drooped as she muttered. "Don't work here…"

A chorus of guffaws broke out "Yeah ya do! I saw you pummel a guy with your tray!"

Pummel was such a strong word, she'd only hit him once. "I was attending Father Daniel's sermon down the street."

Turning, Lia widened her eyes and pouted out her lower lip. "Have you good folks considered givin up this life of sin in pursuit of a purer existence."

As to be expected, the small group of club goers was made up of your run of the mill Gotham University Frat boys. They hit up places like this to slake their thirst for thrills. One such misadventure result in two college boys getting killed last month. The pictures of the news came with a warning about their graphic nature.

These little shits would be easy to mess with, and Lia desperately needed to blow off steam. She grabbed the hand of one touching her and clutched it, forcing herself to tear up "Father Daniels says that no good can come from those ladies of the night, driving you to the fornications, drugs, and the drinking. Repent, give yourself to God."

From the disgusted looks on their face, they had swallowed her little act. The one that had grabbed her was trying to desperately to pull away. "Please good sirs, repent, Father Daniels can help you become pure, he'll take you to his special room."

They were looking at each other, panicking at the implication. Slowly, Lia began to smile. Tightening her grip, she wrenched him towards her and whispered in his ear "He'll fuck you raw with a hot poker purified with the sweet fires of hell and shove it so far up your ass, you'll taste the sizzling bits of shit and blood."

He screamed a little and tried to pull away, but Lia wasn't finished. "Truth time boys, don't ever fucking touch me again."

Finally, she let go and pushed him towards his bros. "The fuck!"

Shrugging, Lia turned on her heal and stepped into the patchy darkness, away from the bright lights of the club. Gotham's elite were fun to fuck with, her little innocence act had gotten her mad tips at Centerfold when the occasional high class customer came through the door. Every single one of them, desperate to scratch an itch out that would likely turn them into social pariahs. They stopped coming in once news got out about Joker buying the place, which was a pity. Lia could see him having a blast blackmailing every single one of those 1% fucks, it would be one of the few things she'd approve of.

(Author's Note: I'm not giving up on these fics damn it! Anyway, your dearest writer has had a wonderful turn of events. My boss has decided to start me on the rode of becoming a personal banker. I've been shadowing for the position the last few weeks and training. If I am promoted, I'll be making somewhere between 40-45k a year. Which is a lot for single little ole me.)


	19. Caught

It had been a week since Lia started pulling shifts and Grin and Bare It, and to say that it was smooth sailing after the first night, would be lying. Despite her aim to fly under the radar and avoid being anything but inconspicuous, she'd become one of Quinn's favorite bartenders. It didn't help that Joker's nickname had caught on. Whether it was due to him using the name so many times, no one knowing her given name, or him demanding she be called that, it stuck. Either way, Lia rarely heard her given name while on shift.

Unlocking the back door, Lia stepped into the locker room. Walking to her locker, she pulled off her favorite tank top. Smirking as she read the graphic on the front "Fuck you, you fucking fucker."

Hearing a giggle from behind her, Lia glanced over her shoulder. Quinn had taken to perching on the chair in the corner of the room when her favorite bartender came in to start her shift. "Knuckles!"

Nodding, Lia tossed the shirt in her locker, grabbing for the incredibly tight bralette. "Any chance you could get Puddin to try for a uniform change?"

She shook out the top and wrinkled her nose at the thought of wearing it. It made no sense, Lia wasn't one of the strippers, why'd she have to dress like one. "Oooh, I think ya look cute, Knuckles. Puddin thinks so too."

Cute huh? Lia gagged a little and pulled on the top. Bending over, she adjusted her cleavage. Quinn let out a whistle of appreciation. "Seriously, ya should wear stuff like that more often."

With a snort of derision, the bartender shed her jeans and threw on the uniform leathers. Lia started to jump a little, trying to get her ass to fit into the pants. The door opened again, and Nocturne came in. It didn't take long for Quinn and her to start up a chorus of hooting. "Damn Rose Top, I'd take a bite outta that!"

Sneering, Lia saluted the pair with a gesture involving her middle finger. "You guys do realize I'm not a fan of having customer shove bills in my shirt right?"

Nocturne started to strip. "I'm sure they don't enjoy it when you make them spit teeth."

Smirking, Lia started to tie up her hair. "How else are they gonna learn?"

Still giggling, Quinn got up and walked over to her. Hips swaying, her tongue slipping out to lick her lips. Nocturne paused and watched as Harley grabbed the golden knuckles that hung on the door of Lia's locker. Unhooking the leather strap, Quinn reached around, pressing herself into the bartender, and latched the necklace on. Inhaling deeply, she pulled back smiled "Aww, jasmine. J's favorite."

Quick as a wink, Quinn pecked Lia on the nose. Leaving a smudge of raging red lipstick behind. Lia remained stone faced, choosing to avoid betraying her overall embarrassment and revulsion at being touched. To the clown couple, she might as well be a blow up doll with rage issues. At the end of the day, she had very little value.

A bit disappointed at the lack of reaction, Quinn pouted. Only to quickly recover. "Mistah J wants ya to cover the bar upstairs, he's got company. No makin em spit teeth, unless he tell ya to."

Nodding, Lia finished putting her hair up, Quinn paused half way out the door "Leave it down, he likes the curl."

That said, she closed the door. Snarling, Lia pulled the last loop of curls through her hair tie. Nocturne piped up "You better do like he says , Rose Top."

Glancing over at the stripper, Lia rolled her eyes. "I can't work with hair in my face…"

Nocturne bit her lower lip, watching as the bartender closed her locker. "Just leave it down, it's not worth it."

To Lia, it was worth it. Joker had already controlled her uniform, the shower products she used, she didn't need him telling her how to wear her hair. Ignoring the look Nocturne was giving her, Lia left the locker room and headed for the main floor. The bass rolling around like a wrecking ball in her chest as she went up the stairs to overlook. Her knuckles slapped against her chest, a dead weight. Opening the door, she walked in and went behind the bar. Joker was in his office, and the guests had yet to arrive.

Lia started to prep the bar, pulling up the bottles needed to make Joker's favorite drink. She was slicing lemons when the door to the office opened. Normally, the boss was chatty but the silence that came at the opening the door was unsettling. Lia focused on her work as Joker walked around the bar and stood to her left. He stared at her, clearly unhappy "Didn't Harley tell ya to leave your hair down…?"

His voice came out at a growl. Lia paused, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. "Yeah."

He sneered, bone white fingers digging into the top of his cane. Taking a deep breath, Lia put down her knife and moved to pull out the hair tie. Joker lashed out, grabbing her hair, nails digging into her scalp "When I tell ya something, ya do it!"

Lips thin, Lia kept her eyes zeroed in on his. It was disturbing how blue they were, almost like glass. He must have been chewing gum earlier, his breath smelled like spearmint. "Yes sir, sorry sir."

Despite the apology, Joker didn't let go. His expression seemed to soften, but it didn't reach his eyes. Pain exploded across Lia's face as Joker backhanded her. She could feel the rings as they left jagged cuts in her cheeks. A small trickle of blood warmed her skin, forcing her to shut her eyes. All Lia could do, was focus on keeping the cuts open and fresh, riding the pain to do so. Not even a whimper escaped her lips, just a light gasp of surprise.

She kept her head at an angle where his strike had left her. Taking a deep breath, Lia looked at her boss. The outburst of physical violence seemed to suffice, he looked sated. Slowly, as if testing the waters, Lia drew back to her full height. Joker's hand followed, still tangled in her mane. His fingers trailed through the curls and gently pulled the hair tie out. "Beautiful…"

He breathed as he brushed his fingers through the mess of snags and coils. Lia watched him, ready and waiting for him to strike again, holding her breath and prepared for more pain. The second blow did not come, but she noticed him squinting at her cuts. She wasn't sure why, they were still bleeding, and stung like a bitch.

Unbeknownst to the bartender, her body was forcing her healing factor. A hint of scabbing had caught the clown's attention. Slowly, a smile stretched across his scarlet coated lips. Lia froze, feeling the brush of cold metal on her abdomen. She looked down, finding his custom gold Colt pressing into her stomach. She struggled, trying to pull away, just as Joker pulled the trigger.

Lia reeled back, the agony of the shot and force of it sending her to the ground. Joker had let her go. Leaving her to the mercy of the floor. She'd been shot before, but never at close range. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and her screams tore from her lips. On instinct, her hands pressed into her stomach, as if trying to call back the blood and flesh that had scattered from her person. Vomit curdled at the back of her throat, mixing with the blood that bubbled up from internal injuries. Joker stood over her, watching, unmoving. Frost attempted to come closer, but he was kept in place with a single glare from his boss.

The bartender was shaking now, everything was agony, her insides felt shredded. Joker knelt down, putting weight on his cane as he leaned over. "What's it like, Knuckles?"

Swallowing the bile, Lia burbled "It's not as bad as being nailed with your car."

He smirked and stared at the gunshot wound, waiting for her to heal. Lia spat blood onto his shoes. "Hope I dented it."

Slowly, excruciatingly, the bullet was be pushed out. Lia screamed as is it went, the muscles, tendons, veins, and nerves fusing back together, as if time were in reverse. After what felt like hours, the bullet rolled off her stomach, leaving behind a hole, only for that to heal over. Lia gasped for air, and shot up off the ground. She was covered in blood, her hair clumped with congealed bits of red. "Haha…. Hahaha… HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Joker was in hysterics now, absolutely gleeful. Lia shivered and hugged herself, leaving bloodied hand prints on her shoulders. "Fucking. Perfect."


	20. Existing

She had a bad case of the shivers now, something similar to what you'd get after a vicious amount of vomiting. Lia ran her hands across her stomach, as if in search of the bullet hole. Despite an advanced healing factor, injuries still took a toll on her body, the process itself was exhausting. Slowly, her eyes slide upward, watching as Joker crouched in front of her "Must say Knuckles, rather ballsy, hiding in plain sight…. Mmm, I'll admit, with all that clumsy shit, I put you off the list from the start."

Unfortunately, he got too close. "So, you can hold off your mutation?"

Lia nodded, fixing her gaze on the bloody mess pooling around her "Hurts like a bitch, but yeah."

He chuckled "Tell me, how many times have you been shot?"

She licked the blood from her lips "This would be the third, but this was the first up close."

Joker whistled "Stabbed?"

Lia shrugged "Once, in the back, asshole left the knife in."

All of this seemed to excite the him "Hot damn Knuckles!"

Without another word, Joker pulled is gun and aimed for her shoulder. Lia cried out but didn't fall over this time. Instead she clutched her shoulder and watched the fresh blood seep through her fingers . Snarling with rage, she glared at her boss "You fucking shot me… AGAIN!?"

Joker shrugged and watched as Lia grit teeth and the bullet was slowly pushed out. The door to the overlook opened, and Harley walked in. With a cry of shock, she ran over to Lia. "Knuckles! What happened!?"

Lia was bit stunned by the hug, seeing that she was drenched in her own blood. Still miffed about the situation, she groused out " _Puddin_ , shot me, twice!"

Quinn spun and widened her eyes at the Joker "Mistah J!?"

Without waiting for a response, Harley pulled Lia's hand away from her shoulder. Only to freeze at the sight of unmarred flesh. Her pretty blues glanced up into the bartender's face. Lia's response was nothing more than a grimace. Suddenly, Quinn began to giggle "Ooh, Knuckles you sneaky little minx!"

Shooting up, she bounced over to the Joker "Ya had us all fooled, didn't she Mistah J!?"

The clown shoved her away with a snarl "Shut up, Harley."

Pouting, she went back over to Lia "Puddin's been dying ta meet ya!"

Cradling her partially healed shoulder, Lia sneered "I thought we'd already met."

Rolling his eyes, Joker pushed Harley aside. "Ah, I've only become acquainted with one itty bitty piece of you…. But now there's so much more to know, so much for you to tell."

Shaking the blood from her hands, Lia absently flicked the bullet that had been pushed from her flesh. "There's nothing to tell."

Taking a knee, disregarding the blood on the floor, Joker smirked "Come on Knuckles, we both know that's a lie

Nostrils flaring, Lia glared at him "I don't gotta tell you… SHIT!"

She lifted up her hands and flicked her blood in the clowns face. Joker howled with laughter 'Now that your covers blown, you've gotten cocky."

Lashing out, Joker snatched her hair. Fingers tangling into the gore speckled ponytail. "I'm not past torturing , to get what I want."

Gritting her teeth, she hissed "My life story ain't worth much. I got mugged once, jumped by some cocksucker that I kicked the shit out of. An ex stabbed me in the back, literally…. I don't dance with the Rogues, I don't play with the Bat."

She wasn't lying, Lia's life was just as eventful as every of Gothamite's. A few shooting here, a peppering stabbing there. Leaning into Joker's grip she snarled "My existence is only marked by the fact that I exist."

Joker pouted "It's sad that you're incapable of owning your potential, Knuckles."

He patted her cheek gently "I think it's time to introduce a bit of anarchy into your existence…"

Rolling his head back and looking over his shoulder, Joker shot Quinn a wink. "What'dya think, Harley?"

Quinn was giddy with excitement. "Oh Puddin!"

She launched herself into him, wrapping her arms around the clown. Sneering, Lia felt herself resigned to being a plaything for the pair. It wouldn't be a stretch from her previous relationship with them . Shit, what other choice did she have? "Consider yourself promoted, Knuckles!"

Not the route she expected "Excuse me?"

"The latest addition to my wall of muscle!"

Harley squealed and pulled Lia into a hug. After planting a kiss on the former bartender's check, she began to gush "We'll need to get you cleaned up, fresh clothes! Oh, I could do your hair!"

Joker seemed to approve, making no objections as Quinn lead away the latest addition to his collection. He felt a sense of triumph, after so many months of hunting, he'd gotten what he wanted. Which of course, was no surprise to him.

(Author's Note: So, after a year of working my arse off at work, I've finally been promoted. I now work as a head teller at bank in the heart of the city I live in. I still have loads to learn, and I'll be attending teller school for a second time the week after next…. Side note, I've also taken up Flamenco at the only Flamenco studio in town.)


	21. What's it Like

Lia hobbled along, allowing Quinn to steer her in the direction Joker's private quarters at the back of the office. To an outsider, the door that lead to the room appeared to be nothing more than a closet. However, once inside and after a couple feet of hallway, there was a rather over the top bedroom. King size bed, draped in royal purple satin sheets, a fully loaded bar complete with oak finish, and a collection of personalized weaponry. Further in, Lia spotted a large bathroom. Which was where Quinn deposited her, into a cushioned chair in front of a vanity.

Humming happily, Harley went into the bedroom and started throwing around some clothes. "Ah Ha!"

She stepped into the bathroom, holding up a pair of black leather paints, which had spades stitched in using red thread, the shirt was bit more subtle. Honestly, Lia had been expecting something similar to her uniform. The top was just a simple white button up. "I know ya hate that shirt Mistah Ja makes ya wear, figured we could compromise if we jazz it up a little."

Dropping the clothes onto the wall of the tub, Quinn went and stood in front of Lia. Without asking permission, the clown ripped off her blood drenched clothes. Leaving the meta human in nothing except her underwear. Cocking her head to the right, Quinn dragged a delicate finger across Lia's skin. Trailing from her collar bone, and down to her navel. "What's it like?"

Lia raised an eyebrow "What's what like?"

Quinn leaned forward, "Dying, what's it like."

She ghosted her lips over Lia's, waiting for her answer as her hands dipped and coxed her legs open. Taking a deep breath, catching a whiff of citrine perfume, Lia's eyes averted to the clown's mouth "I used to free run when I was a kid, I fell into a dumpster and I was out for several hours. I think that's the only time I died."

Harley hummed and rested her hands on Lia's knees, steadying herself. "It was…. Exhilarating."

The clown chuckled "The dying or come back?"

Lia's chest rose and fell quickly as Quinn drew closer "Bit of both."

The words were muffled by the clown's lips. Harley took the chance to steal a kiss. Lia's left over adrenaline from being shot twice, and the tension throughout this conversation, had left her more than receptive. She all but snarled into the kiss, tasting the light flavor of Harley's lipstick.

Giggling, Quinn settled into her lap, her legs spread. Placing a kiss at the corner of her mouth, Harley descended and nibbled on Lia's neck, only glancing up to watch the meta human's eyes rolled back, enthralled by the pleasure. With a final nip, Quinn stood up and grabbed the fresh set of clothes.

Looking over her shoulder, she licked her lips at Lia's hungry gaze. "Nocturne was right, you are fun."

Lia rolled her eyes and stood, grabbing for the pants. "You'd think a criminal empire wouldn't be prone to gossip."

Pulling them on, she buttoned them. Her eyes jumped to the mirror and widened a little, she actually looked alright. Smirking, Harley reached around and smacked her ass. "Lookin good, Knuckles!"

Before she could protest, Quinn took the white shirt and used the cuffs and sleeves to mop up the blood on her chest. "Puddin's enemies and business partners aren't intimidated by women, well except me. We need to debut ya just right. Bit of blood should do the trick."

"Debut? The fuck am I, a debutant?"

Harley giggled. "We could put ya in a dress…"

Handing the shirt over, she watched as Lia put it on. Only stepping in to undo the top two buttons, to knot the hem of the shirt, and finally to roll up the sleeves to show off the blood stains. Finally, she reached out and pulled out the cord around Lia's neck, showing off her knuckles.

(Author's Note: New position is going well, I have 100 hours in PTO, getting paid above a living wage, and full benefits. Very, very nice)


	22. Irish Wound Ravens

Harley ran her thumb across the cool metal of the knuckles. "Where did ya get your old ones… Really?"

Lia stared at her, then slowly reached into the pocket of her new pants, pulling her brass knuckles from where she had stowed them. They already knew about her abilities, what was one more truth? "My Dad's."

Lacing her fingers into the metal loops, she smiled. "He was in deep with the Sullivan Family."

Harley blinked, a bit taken aback "Your dad was an assassin?"

Lia smirked "Dad liked to brag that our family genes dated back to the Irish Wound Ravens, first Irish crime group in Gotham."

Turning the knuckles just so, she showed her the shamrock that had been embossed into the metal. Harley ran her fingers over the symbol. Quinn looked surprised "You're Irish?"

Plucking at her hair, Lia raised an eyebrow 'With a rat's nest like this, you really surprised?"

Harley giggled a bit, glad to have her favorite bit of muscle open up to her. "So, he worked for the Italians?"

"He was Falcone's favorite dog, when I was kid, we'd go to his place every Sunday after mass for lunch."

"They all got gunned down by Holiday, after Falcone bailed them out for trying to kill Dent, right?"

Kissing the knuckles, Lia slipped them back into her pocket. "I was 5, one of the Italians came by the house with my Dad's knuckles, wrapped up in handkerchief."

"What about your Mom."

Lia shrugged. "We never talked about her…"

"What happened to you after all that?"

"Falcone took me in, put me in a boarding school, I ran off when I was 17, came back to Gotham."

She caught a hint of sympathy in Quinn's eyes. Patting her pocket, Lia chuckled "Falcone tried to track me down but after I started to go by Eves instead of Griffith, dyed my hair black for a short time, wore brown contact lenses, and got a fake ID for paychecks and a bank account, his men had difficulty finding me. At this point, I'm pretty sure he's forgotten about Cornelia E Griffith."

The pair made for the door "What about your mutation?"

Lia chuckled "You think this was my first time hiding my abilities? Other than my father, no one knew what I could do."

"Why didn't ya tell Falcone?"

At this point, Cornelia laughed. "Are you kidding!? I may have been 5 but my Dad made sure I wasn't too stupid to throw that information around, I kept that shit to myself."

Harley smiled, enjoying the meta human's laugh. It was surprisingly rich in tone "Think Falcone will recognize ya?"

Lia went quiet "Don't know."

As they made their way down the hall and back to the overlook of the club, Harley noted how Lia seemed to pale at the thought "Do ya think he'll do something?"

The meta human licked her lips "I know there's some serious shit between your Puddin and Falcone."

Quinn opened the door to the overlook "He'll be mad?"

Lia groaned "His favorite dog's daughter, throwing her lot in with a Clown, he'll be pissed."

Joker turned as the door closed behind the pair. His eyes traveled over Lia, and he smiled "Aww, a sight to behold. My two girls…"

A chill ran up her spine at the declaration. A response that was the complete opposite of Harley's squeal of delight. "What'dya think Puddin! Ain't we a pair!?"

Quinn threw her arm around Lia and pulled her in, cheek to cheek. The meta human seized up, choosing to keep her attention on the floor. Only chancing a glance when the Boss's polished shoes stepped into her line of vision. Placing a finger beneath her chin, he turned her head from right to left. Taking in the smear of red on her lips, side eyeing Harley, he raised an non-existent eyebrow. Without warning or introduction, he pressed his lips to Lia's. Forcing a an almost enraged kiss on her.

Cornelia had not been expecting that. Such actions seemed common place for Quinn, but she never took Joker to be the type to be physical in any way that indicated affection. She cried out, the sound muffled by the clown's lips. This seemed encourage him, resulting in his fingers trailing delicately over her neck and to her hair, where they laced themselves in the red snarls, and pulled. At last, the clown pulled away and observed Lia's expression. Her eyes were hooded, and her lips slightly parted, more than a little dusted with red. Satisfied, Joker released his hold and turned back to the window of the overlook. "Our guests will be here soon…"

Lia blinked and then wiped her lips with the back of her hand. "Yes, Boss."

Untangling herself from Harley, she returned to her place behind the bar, and started preparing the drinks. Her hair was a mild nuisance, but Lia fought the urge to put it up.


	23. Scrapping

Lia glanced up from her spot behind the bar as the Joker draped himself over the couch. They were an hour or so into the meeting, and while the clown seemed relaxed, his Italian business partners were the complete opposite. When the meta human got a better look at her boss. She understood why. The relaxed posture did not reach his eyes, he was pissed off. Rightly so, apparently these idiots lost a rather significant amount of product during shipment, and their own boss was late to party. "So, you philandering shits screw up, and your boss is late… Now, how do you think that makes me feel… Hmmm, Knuckles!"

Lia almost dropped her tray of freshly made drinks, but she maintained composure. "Boss?"

He smiled at her response "How do you think that makes me feel?"

Raising a nonexistent eyebrow, he waited for an answer. Setting her jaw, Lia put down the drinks and went to stand in front of the Italians They seemed a bit floored by the clown calling a petite red head over, but the confusion only lasted a second. The meta human lashed out, with the speed of striking snake. Her fingers laced into the greasy hair of the second in command . With little hesitation she slammed his face into the glass coffee table, a bit of blood spraying across the surface. Leaning forward she hissed. "I think you feel disrespected, Boss."

Chortling, Joker leaned forward, putting weight on his cane "How does that make you feel, Knuckles?"

Honestly, she wasn't feeling anything in particular, but Joker demanded intimidation. So, she played the part and began to giggle in the Italian's ear. "It makes me angry…"

Joker hummed and Knuckles lifted her victim's head and slammed it into the table, causing it to shatter. The glass ran into the man's face. Blood oozed from the wounds as he whimpered in pain. At this, one of the other Italians threw himself at Lia and wrestled her to the ground. Frost and Harley made moves to come to her defense, but Joker stopped them, content to watch the struggle. Snarling, Lia grabbed for her knuckle dusters and struck her attacker across the face. He spat teeth and moaned in agony, but her threw her down and stomped on her hand, breaking a couple of her fingers in the process. Lia screamed but spun onto her back and faced him. Sneering, she kicked the guy in the knee, a sickening crunch echoed throughout the room, the man screamed and fell forward. The bone of his knee, sticking through the skin.

Brushing herself off, Lia got up and pulled off her knuckle duster, examining her now broken fingers. Wincing, she let them heal, watching the process as they were reset and snapped back into the position, not long after, the bruising had disappeared as well. Glancing at the remaining Italian, she smirked in challenge. He made no threatening moves, opting instead to pull his companion out of the center of the broken table. Giggling, Joker reclined and appraised Lia. "So rude of me, Gentlemen, this is Knuckles, as you can see, she's a rare collector's item…"

"Fucking cunt!"

Lia glanced down at her now defeated opponent. With a snarl, she aimed a solid kick to his face. A horrid crunch signaling that she broke his nose. "As you can also see, she's not a fan of name calling."

Smirking, Lia turned the mobster on his back. Leaning down she growled "Don't call me a cunt, got me?"

The man cradled his nose, but nodded through the blood. Chuckling, the meta human patted his cheek "Good boy."


	24. Enter Falcone

He gazed at her fondly and licked his lips. "Now our guests, we can't be rude."

Lia smirked "Of course, Boss."

She walked over to the mess of dead, concaved faces, and fractures. Raising an eyebrow, she bowed slightly, displaying the drink selection. Of course, their guests did not partake, being too preoccupied with injuries. Lia pouted and glanced at Joker, chuckling he waved her away and she complied. As she set down the tray on the bar and went back to cleaning her work station, Lia came to realize how easy it was to fall into the role of being Joker's thug. In some way the ease with which she could move from Cornelia to Knuckles, was both frightening and exhilarating. The thought disappeared when she caught Joker eye, he winked at her and returned his attention to his business partners. He opened his mouth, prepared to continue conversation, only to have the door to his office crash open.

Lia froze, her blood running cold. "Aww, Falcone!"

Joker uncrossed his legs and got up. Within seconds, he stood before the Italian and planted a kiss on the mobsters cheeks. Carmine rubbed the red lip stain off his cheek and surveyed the scene, another man stood behind him. "Oh, and little Salvatore Maroni! Such a surprise!"

Unlike, Falcone, Maroni seemed at ease and happy to greet the clown. At the very least, he was better at hiding his discomfort. Feeling something brush again her hand, glancing up she found Quinn looking at her. Taking a deep breath, Lia pulled her hand away and focused her attention on the new arrival. Carmine looked past Joker, towards he incapacitated men. "What the fuck happened to my men!?"

Joker raised a nonexistent eyebrow pouted out his lower lip. "Well Falcone, I'm onboarding some new muscle, and they're learning the art of developing a thick skin."

Lia scoffed while Harley giggled and brought the meta human's hand to her lips and brushed the freshly healed fingers with a kiss. "Still, easily forgiven…"

He spun around and threw an arm around Falcone and dragged him through the mess of destroyed goons "Not only is she an expert in breaking bones, but she knows her way around the bar."

Not looking up, Lia slid a cocktail across the bar's surface into Falcone's hand. She could feel his eyes boring holes into her head. Slowly, looked him in the eyes. "Molto tempo non si vede, Falcone."

Falcone looked as if he had seen a ghost. "Cornelia…"

Her name came at a whisper, and then rage exploded across his face. "You're supposed to be dead!"

For some reason, the exasperation provided Lia with a great deal of pleasure. Handing Joker his own drink, she shrugged "Easier said than done…."

Heaving a sigh, she poured herself a shot of tequila and knocked it back "Believe me."

Joker was giggling now "Oh, oh this is delicious…. You mean to tell me that you didn't know Falcone!"

At this, the clown roared with laughter, and before Lia could stop him. The clown pulled his gun and shot her square in the chest. "Are. You. Fucking. Serious!"

Lia sputtered at blood gushed from the bullet hole. Falcone relinquished a shrill scream when the meta human's blood spirted across his face. Heaving a raspy giggle, Lia provided some colorful commentary. "Splash zone, Falcone."  
Joker licked his lips, apparently pleased with his actions. Pressing her hand to her chest, Lia sneered at him "That's the third time tonight."

With a dismissive smirk, he replied "Don't get it on the carpet."

Harley pulled out the towels on the bar and began to bloat away the blood. All the time, Falcone and Maroni stood in fixated horror. At long last, Lia pulled away her hand and her chest was left fully healed, not a trace of the gunshot. Straightening his jacket, Joker chuckled "Really God Father, you had a meta human among your ranks and you couldn't be bothered to notice. Such a waste of talent."

Falcone was shaking now, his face paper white with terror and rage. "Him!? You threw your lot in with him!? With these clowns!? What would your father say!?"

He was behaving like a disappointed father and the very display was making Lia sick "Well, firstly, I think papa would be pretty amused that in all the time you had me, you never figured out what I was capable of. I mean really, you were outsmarted by a child."

His face went from white to red in seconds. Harley pressed a kiss against Lia temple "It's a sad day when it turns out the clowns are smarter than you, Falcone. I mean, wow, blow to the big oily Italian ego, eh Falcone?"


End file.
